i am proud to say i have NEVER had a starbucks coffee

(or tea if they sell tea). i have always avoided a beverage from starbucks like the plague. even at work at one of the kiosk's there used to be starbucks. never had one there either (it's since changed to some other designer brand whose name i can't recall). the people running starbucks appear to be real pricks. NOT that that should come as a surprise to ANYONE

Starbucks, the coffee beans and the copyright row that cost Ethiopia £47m

Ashley SeagerThursday October 26, 2006The Guardian
Starbucks, the giant US coffee chain, has used its muscle to block an attempt by Ethiopia's farmers to copyright their most famous coffee bean types, denying them potential earnings of up to £47m a year, said Oxfam.
The development agency said the Ethiopian government last year filed copyright applications to trademark its most famous coffee names - Sidamo, Harar and Yirgacheffe. Securing the rights to these names would enable the impoverished African country to control their use in the market and allow farmers to receive a greater share of the retail price.

Starbucks, the coffee beans and the copyright row that cost Ethiopia £47mAshley SeagerThursday October 26, 2006The Guardian
Starbucks, the giant US coffee chain, has used its muscle to block an attempt by Ethiopia's farmers to copyright their most famous coffee bean types, denying them potential earnings of up to £47m a year, said Oxfam.
The development agency said the Ethiopian government last year filed copyright applications to trademark its most famous coffee names - Sidamo, Harar and Yirgacheffe. Securing the rights to these names would enable the impoverished African country to control their use in the market and allow farmers to receive a greater share of the retail price.

The move would have increased its annual export earnings from coffee by 25%.
But Oxfam said Starbucks, which enjoyed a 22% rise in annual global turnover to £7.8bn in the year to October, has acted to block Ethiopia's application to the US patent and trademark office. The USPTO has denied Ethiopia's applications for Sidamo and Harar, creating serious obstacles for its project............

Tech Tags: starbucks ethiopia oxfam