By Kim Zimmermann, Managing Editor
It is a well-established fact that Starbucks is relentless when it comes to protecting its brand. So it should come as no shock that the retailer’s lawyers went on high alert when a parody “Dumb Starbucks” popped up in Los Angeles. The Hollywood Reporter noted that the line for the fake coffee shop was around the block, “perhaps due to its impeccably rendered versions of the shop sign, menu and coffee cup design, the store has drawn attention on social media.”
A brewer in Illinois also recently ran afoul of the coffee giant when its name for a beer drink came perilously close to Frappuccino.
Other retailers have faced this same dilemma. 7-Eleven sued 7-SEVEN stores because its name and logo were a little too similar to those of the mega convenience store chain. And Toys ‘R’ Us has gone after any company with a similar use of ‘R’ in its name.
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Essentially, retailers have two options when it comes to dealing with these shenanigans. Either put on a game face and go to battle, or embrace the zaniness and become part of the joke.
I AM NOT condoning the theft of trademarks. But in the case of Dumb Starbucks, with no working cash registers and free coffee and pastries apparently from a local supermarket, there was little chance people were going to be confused.
I also doubt anyone who was in the bar drinking a “Frappicino” was going to mistake it for the coffee drink, unless they had too many of the alcoholic type. The brewery owner turned it into a joke by sending Starbucks a check for $6 — its share of the Frappicinos sold — and chiding the company on social media. His story went viral, and Starbucks looked like a bully.
Other retailers follow the lead of Starbucks, and well they should on a number of fronts. The company is a pioneer in mobile payments. They managed to get people to clamor for a $450 limited-edition gift card. But maybe they need to lighten up — just a little bit.
But if they are going to choose the humorless route, Starbucks should gird itself for the next battle. Nathan Fielder, the comedian behind the Dumb Starbucks, is rumored to be setting his sights on a storefront in Brooklyn.
