The Starbucks CEO, Jim Donald and his executive team met with H.E. Meles Zenawi, Prime Minister of Ethiopia on November 28 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. During the meeting H.E. Meles Zenawi expressed thanks for the work that the Company has done in promoting the fine coffees of Ethiopia. The Prime Minister explained Ethiopia's initiative in securing trademark protection for its coffee names, stating that the main objective is to gradually increase the export revenue from these coffees and also the share of the revenue going to poor farmers. He also noted that one important reason behind the initiative is to stop the current trend of cutting down coffee trees and replacing them with Khat, a narcotic which is worrying the Ethiopian government.

The Starbucks CEO and his executive team expressed their willingness to help the poor farmers and to promote Ethiopian fine coffees. Both parties agreed to cooperate and work together in the protection and use of the Intellectual Property Rights of Ethiopia's specialty coffee names and for Starbucks to promote high quality Ethiopian coffees producer under the umbrella of CAFÉ Practices. At the meeting they discussed the promising future of Ethiopia and Starbucks working together and mentioned various aspects of cooperation.

Starbucks agreed that it shares the objectives of the initiative. Although this is an encouraging and positive attitude on the part of Starbucks, the position has not yet changed regarding the basic issue--the trade marking of the Ethiopian coffee names. Starbucks has not yet recognized Ethiopia's trademark ownership of the specialty coffee names despite the fact that the Prime Minister stated that a royalty free licensing agreement is being offered to them and gave assurance that any other business concerns the Company has will be addressed in a positive and constructive manner. Starbucks presented the view that there are other alternatives to trademarks, which includes certification marks. Ethiopia has already rejected this alternative and made the decision for trade marking after thorough study and consultation with stakeholders. Ethiopia believes that its objectives can most effectively be met through trade mark protection of the coffee names and creation of a distribution network, offering less stringent licensing agreements to coffee roasting and distribution companies than those commonly known.

The executives of Starbucks indicated that there are commonalities on objectives and that the problem only lies in the tactics. The Ethiopian side believes that it should not take much time for Starbucks to accept Ethiopia's approach, thereby leading to meaningful cooperation between the parties.

Ethiopian Intellectual Property Office (EIPO)

Ethiopian Intellectual Property Office (EIPO)

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