Trademark dispute: Brewery send Starbucks profit chk

[Opti]

www.nbcnews.com/business/brewery-starbucks-heres-6-2D11820758#brewery-starbucks-heres-6-2D11820758

ST. LOUIS — A small Missouri brewery has responded to a cease and desist letter from Starbucks by sending the coffee chain giant a check to cover what it calls the profit from use of the word "Frappicino" — a check for $6.


Starbucks asked a brewery to stop using the name "Frappicino," spelled similarly to its blended beverages. Exit 6 Pub and Brewery in the St. Louis suburb of Cottleville named one of its brews the Frappicino, spelled just slightly differently than the name that Starbucks uses for its blended beverages. That prompted an attorney for Starbucks Coffee Co. to send Exit 6 a letter Dec. 9.

The letter from attorney Anessa Owen Kramer noted that the Seattle-based company "is the owner of a number of world-famous trademarks, including the well-known FRAPPUCCINO trademark." It said that the words are "phonetically identical" and that Exit 6's use of Frappicino "is likely to cause confusion, mistake."

In his sarcastic response letter, Exit 6 owner Jeff Britton also wrote that the brewery "never thought that our beer drinking customers would have thought that the alcoholic beverage coming out of the tap would have actually been coffee from one of the many, many, many stores located a few blocks away."

Exit 6 posted the letter on its Facebook site and responded with a letter to Kramer and "Mr. Bucks." The letter said Exit 6 would no longer use the term "Frappicino" and would instead refer to its beer as the "F Word."

What do you think?
I think the Brewery's response is kind of funny.

[ՏՇԾԵԵʅՏɧ_LԹՏՏʅҼ]

It is a funny response.

I don't see why Starbuck's has to be in such a snit over a word that's spelled differently - and isn't even being used to title a coffee blend. It was a brewery.

If they'd used the word as Starbuck's spells it ("Frappuccino"), it would have been a different matter. But Frappé is is a word dating back to 1957. Usually it's an iced drink. McD's has been doing Frappé's for a few years now.

I guess since they added the "iccino" at the end, it has Starbucks knickers in a twist.

[AgeOfEnlightenmentSCP]

Jan 1, 2014 22:25:47 GMT -5 Opti said:

www.nbcnews.com/business/brewery-starbucks-heres-6-2D11820758#brewery-starbucks-heres-6-2D11820758

ST. LOUIS — A small Missouri brewery has responded to a cease and desist letter from Starbucks by sending the coffee chain giant a check to cover what it calls the profit from use of the word "Frappicino" — a check for $6.


Starbucks asked a brewery to stop using the name "Frappicino," spelled similarly to its blended beverages. Exit 6 Pub and Brewery in the St. Louis suburb of Cottleville named one of its brews the Frappicino, spelled just slightly differently than the name that Starbucks uses for its blended beverages. That prompted an attorney for Starbucks Coffee Co. to send Exit 6 a letter Dec. 9.

The letter from attorney Anessa Owen Kramer noted that the Seattle-based company "is the owner of a number of world-famous trademarks, including the well-known FRAPPUCCINO trademark." It said that the words are "phonetically identical" and that Exit 6's use of Frappicino "is likely to cause confusion, mistake."

In his sarcastic response letter, Exit 6 owner Jeff Britton also wrote that the brewery "never thought that our beer drinking customers would have thought that the alcoholic beverage coming out of the tap would have actually been coffee from one of the many, many, many stores located a few blocks away."

Exit 6 posted the letter on its Facebook site and responded with a letter to Kramer and "Mr. Bucks." The letter said Exit 6 would no longer use the term "Frappicino" and would instead refer to its beer as the "F Word."

What do you think?
I think the Brewery's response is kind of funny.

I haven't read the thread yet so if this reply is out there- forgive me. People are always "amused" by instances when Disney sues a woman who runs a home day care for showing their movies, this case, and others like it- and the sarcastic responses that follow. The fact of the matter, however, is that if you fail to defend your trademarks, you can lose them. This is why they take actions like these- to document that they vigorously defend their intellectual property.

[billisonboard]

Jan 2, 2014 8:10:15 GMT -5 AgeOfEnlightenmentSCP said:

... I haven't read the thread yet ...

the thread is only one reply long

[AgeOfEnlightenmentSCP]

Jan 2, 2014 10:36:00 GMT -5 billisonboard said:

Jan 2, 2014 8:10:15 GMT -5 AgeOfEnlightenmentSCP said:

... I haven't read the thread yet ...

the thread is only one reply long

Well, like I said...

[workpublic]

that's why the village of Katonah fought off martha stewart's attempt to copyright "katonah furniture"

katonah hardware, the katonah restaruant and the katonah deli had other ideas.

i think ralph lauren sued the hollywood polo club claiming infringement.