Washington, DC (April 30, 2008) - Durham, NC-based Counter Culture Coffee, which upholds its motto - Coffee Driven People - People Driven Coffee - has committed to foster the promotion of Ethiopia's fine coffees by becoming a licensed distributor of the country's trademarked coffees.

The company's Director of Coffee and co-owner Peter Giuliano said, "Counter Culture Coffee is grateful to the country of Ethiopia for coffee - Ethiopia’s gift to the world. We proudly support Ethiopia in using its wonderful coffees, the best in the world, to help eliminate poverty and enrich the lives of coffee farmers."

Congratulating the company as he signed the licensing agreement, the Ethiopian ambassador to the United States, H.E. Dr. Samuel Assefa stated, "I am genuinely pleased to see that an industry trend setter
such as Counter Culture Coffee has joined the network of licensed distributors of Ethiopia's marked coffees." He added, "I am hopeful that Counter Culture Coffee's principled stand in supporting the improvement of the coffee farmers' standard of living through commensurate profit sharing will add a powerful voice to analogous voices of pioneer licensees."

An extensive mobilization and public awareness outreach program is underway across the many coffee growing regions of Ethiopia to heighten interest and participation in the Initiative. At the same time,
licensed distribution in Ethiopia's major fine coffee export markets is expanding to include coffee brokers, roasters, and retailers.

Currently there are 23 licensed distributors and about 45 companies in active dialogue with Ethiopia. The long term target is to license 150-200 critical players in the fine coffee industry worldwide. Extensive consumer awareness resulting from the Oxfam campaign last year has been effective in fueling the licensing efforts of Ethiopia, as patrons ask that their coffee companies support Ethiopia in its endeavor to improve the livelihood of millions of farmers across the country.

Ethiopia is posed to have an excellent chance at the 2008 Specialty Coffee Association of America's (SCAA) 20th Annual Conference & Exhibition, May 2 - 5, in Minneapolis, MN, to showcase its Fine
Coffees Initiative and their brands, as well as its rich heritage, history, and culture as it has been selected by the SCAA to be the first African Portrait Country during the 2008 conference, which carries the theme of "Roots," and identifies Ethiopia as the undisputed origin of coffee.

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Light Years IP

Light Years IP

Light Years IP (LYIP) is a non-profit organization dedicated to alleviating poverty by assisting developing country producers gain ownership of their Intellectual Property (IP) and to use the IP to increase their export income and improve the security of that income. LYIP is pioneering a Poverty Alleviating IP Solutions (PAIPS) approach to help developing world producers identify and own their IP. We believe IP offers a business strategy that can help developing countries increase income, improve the security of their income, and alleviate poverty. We assist producers, exporters, and governments in the developing world to analyze their export potential with respect to identifying the value of intangibles and then using IP tools (i.e. patents, trademarks, licenses) to secure more sustained and higher export income. The ownership of IP is secured in market countries through the existing IP legal frameworks of the developed world.

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