Ethiopian coffee saga - latest instalment

Channel 4 News reports that Starbucks has ceased its opposition to the registration of SIDAMO and HARAR, the names of coffee beans, by Ethiopian coffee growers. A spokesman for Oxfam wasn’t happy though, saying:

"While it is useful that Starbucks has made that commitment, it still falls short of them acknowledging that Ethiopia owns these names".

The IPKat isn’t entirely happy – descriptive terms are more suited to geographical indications or, at a push, certification marks. He’s certainly not impressed by the Oxfam spokesman – it’s for the relevant trade mark office, and not Starbucks, to decide who ‘owns’ the name.