Maltese Cafe Must Change Name And Pay €2,000 After Starbucks Sues Over Trademark
A Maltese cafe must change its name and pay a €2,000 fine after being taken to court over trademark infringement by one of the biggest coffee companies in the world.
Strabuono Coffee, which has outlets in Naxxar and St Paul’s Bay, has been found guilty of copying visuals and trademarks owned by Starbucks, the international coffee producer.
Starbucks filed two legal motions against the local cafe over copyright infringement, saying that Strabuono’s name and logo, as well as the name of their products, were too similar to their own.
However, the Maltese cafe hit back by saying their name was actually in a different language and had a different meaning; and that their logo featured a lion, not a mermaid.
They also said they sell Strapuccinos, which is different than Starbucks’ Frapuccinos.
However, they were unable to convince the court, where Judge Mark Chetcuti said that there was enough legal precedent from other similar cases within European courts to find in favour of Starbucks.
As a result, Strabuono Coffee was fined €2,000 and ordered to stop using the names “Strabuono” and “Strabuono Coffee”.
What do you make of this caffeinated court case?
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