Starbucks Sues NY Weed Retailer For Trademark Infringement Over ‘Starbuds’ Logo
Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX) initiated a trademark infringement lawsuit against “Starbuds Flowers,” a mobile cannabis retailer, in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York. The global coffee chain alleges that Starbuds’ logo bears a striking resemblance to its iconic green siren emblem, potentially misleading consumers due to its visual and phonetic similarities to the Starbucks brand.
Starbucks Demands Starbuds Cease Logo Use
According to legal documents shared by Bloomberg Law, the “confusingly similar and nearly identical” logo features a double-ringed green circle, capital letters and a siren image, mirroring Starbucks’ well-established design. According to Retail Insight Network, the complaint accuses Brandpat, the operator behind Starbuds, of copyright and trademark infringement and trademark dilution under state and federal law.
The global coffee chain argues that logo used by Starbuds mimics its branding, creating potential customer confusion by trading on Starbucks’s extensive brand recognition. The lawsuit demands that Starbuds …