A brewing trademark fight between Starbucks and the union representing its workers has spilled into federal court in Philadelphia.
Workers United, the union representing Starbucks baristas nationwide, filed a lawsuit Friday asking a judge to declare that the workers have a right to use their employer’s name and a similar logo in union materials.
Five years into a national campaign to unionize branches of the Seattle-based coffee giant under the banner of Starbucks Workers United, and secure a first union contract, questions remain on whether the name infringes on the corporation’s copyright.
Starbucks Workers United is part of Workers United, which has over 86,000 members in manufacturing, apparel, food service, and other industries.
Starbucks previously argued that the union’s name, in conjunction with the campaign’s logo that riffs off Starbucks’ logo, could cause people to confuse the union and coffee chain.
But the union doesn’t think anyone is attempting to order a grande skinny-latte with an extra pump of vanilla from its website.
Starbucks Workers United “clearly identifies itself as a distinct organization,” the suit says, and has no interest in conflating itself with the company, which it accuses of unlawful union busting.
“Our globally iconic brand is the outward representation of who we are as a company, and we will always take steps to prevent misuse that could create confusion for our customers,” Jaci Anderson, Starbucks’ director of global communications, said in a statement.
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