Starbucks, Sambucks, Starboch, Charbucks, Xingbake

Dec 8

by Tamera H. Bennett On December 1, 2005 a federal judge in Portland ruled that Samantha Buck-Lundberg ("Sam Buck") was infringing on the Starbucks trademark by using the "Sambucks" name on her Astoria, Oregon coffee shop. Buck-Lundberg decided to fight Starbucks and was found to be "willingly infringing" on the trademark.

Although in most situations a court cannot order a person to stop using their legal name as part of their business name, the court found that "Sam Bucks" was a nickname and they further found that consumers were confused by the name.

Starbucks aggressively protects its trademark rights and has sued numerous "potential" infringers in the United States and internationally.

Other recent defendants in Starbucks actions include "Starboch" (a Texas beer), "Charbucks" (a dark roast coffee brand), and "Xingbake" (a Chinese coffeehouse chain, whose name when translated from Chinese to English sounds like "Star Buck").

Starbucks Trademark LitigationTrademarktrademark litigation

Tamera H. Bennett

Tamera H. Bennett is a wife, mom, lawyer, mediator, blogger, podcaster, and legal writer. For two decades she’s helped clients protect what they create by practicing trademark, copyright and entertainment law in Texas and Tennessee.

Tamera has co-hosted more than 85 episodes of the Entertainment Law Update Podcast since 2009. And, she’s been honored to write for BILLBOARD magazine and the TEXAS LAWYER.

In the summer of 2015, Tamera backpacked 100 miles over 10 days with her son's Boy Scout Troop. Tamera walked her first half-marathon in 2012 and walked the Cowtown Half Marathon in February 2016 and February 2017 with a PR each time. You can visit Tamera’s blog at createprotect.com and follow her on Twitter @tamerabennett.

http://www.tbennettlaw.com

Tamera Bennett

Meet lawyer Tamera Bennett, your trusted advocate for trademark, copyright, and music law in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. Tamera gets it when her clients pour their heart and soul into their projects…she is just as passionate about using the law to protect her clients' intellectual property rights.

Tamera’s office might be in a “small town,” but her 25 years’ of legal experience allows her to counsel clients on deals in all the “big” cities.

Meet Tamera Bennett

Gordon Firemark

Gordon Firemark is an attorney whose practice is devoted to the representation of artists, writers, producers and directors in the fields of theater, film, television,and music. He is also the publisher of Entertainment Law Update., a newsletter for artists and professionals in the entertainment industries. His practice also covers intellectual property, cyberspace, new media and business/corporate matters for clients in the entertainment industry.

Meet Gordon Firemark

Starbucks, Sambucks, Starboch, Charbucks, Xingbake

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