Starbucks vs Starbuds

In a recent legal development, Starbucks has filed a lawsuit against Starbuds Flowers, a mobile marijuana retailer, accusing the company of trade mark and copyright infringement. The lawsuit, filed on June 28th in the U.S. District Court of Southern District of New York, claims that Starbuds has intentionally copied Starbucks’ iconic logo and brand name to confuse the public.

Starbucks asserts that the Starbuds logo bears a striking resemblance to an older iteration of the Starbucks logo, which featured a black-and-white siren graphic encased in a green circle with the words “Starbucks Coffee” and two small star details. The Starbuds logo includes a double-ringed green circle and a crown-wearing mermaid or siren smoking marijuana, with usage of white capital letters with a green background with the proportions and composition which are very much similar to the logo of the giant coffee brand, Starbucks.

In its lawsuit, Starbucks argues that Starbuds is attempting to make profit from the coffee giant’s longstanding brand recognition, thereby tarnishing the image and reputation of Starbucks in the process of confusing the consumers.

The company also highlights that the word STARBUDS is phonetically similar to STARBUCKS  and both are two-syllable marks starting with the word STAR. Starbucks claims that Starbuds has substituted the term BUCKS from Starbucks to a phonetically similar term BUDS, which has a similar pronunciation and is likely to sound very similar when spoken, further adding to the potential for consumer confusion. Starbucks contends that Starbuds’ actions constitute a deliberate attempt to exploit its established brand, creating a likelihood of confusion among consumers and potentially damaging Starbucks’ reputation.

As this case progresses, it will be crucial to see how the court addresses the issues of trademark and copyright infringement and how it would have significant implications for trademark law and the protection of brand identity in an increasingly competitive market.