In the quiet Queen Charlotte Islands the Haida nation opened a coffee shop called HaidaBucks. Buck, of course, referring to a male member of the Haida nation. Well you guessed it, Starbucks legal folks wrote saying that if name was not changed they would be going to court. Haidabucks I've wondered how this HadiaBucks thing would turn out.
Lately, the coffee in Masset, a small town on the remote island of Haida Gwaii, tastes especially sweet. That's because HaidaBucks, a small indigenous-owned coffee house and restaurant located there, is savouring its victory over Starbucks and its claims of trademark infringement. In true David-vs.-Goliath fashion, HaidaBucks stared down a multi- billion-dollar global enterprise. "We won," said co-owner Darin Swanson. "We did more than defend our name; we defended our honour as indigenous peoples, and our right to our heritage." It began when Starbucks alleged that the small, struggling business was violating Starbucks' trademark rights. Threatened with legal action if they did not change their name or logo, HaidaBucks did not back down. Instead, the bucks enlisted the help of a Victoria law firm Arvay Finlay, and launched a massive web-based campaign with the help of West Virginia, USA businessman Lane Baldwin. Now, after months of legal wrangling and a swell of public support for HaidaBucks, it appears that Starbucks is the one that backed down. HaidaBucks has recently received a letter from StarBucks which concludes "Starbucks considers this matter closed". And with that, HaidaBucks' triumph is complete. [continue] |
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