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'Brewing' Trademark Battle on YouTube
What is corporate lawyer Robert Winter, a senior partner with Arnold & Porter in Washington, D.C., doing in a YouTube video? His firm represents Ethiopia in applications for trademark protection.
He is using this online video site as a forum in which to argue his case for international trademark protection for Ethiopian coffee.
But why YouTube? His video was posted Jan. 29 as a response to a Dec. 20 video, Starbucks talks about coffee farmers in Africa, in which Starbucks executive Dub Hay (described as head of its coffee team) explains why the company will not sign a trademark agreement with Ethiopia recognizing its rights in its geographic name. To do so, said Hay, would be against the law.
Not so, argues Winter in his video. "In fact, we think it's plain silly," he says. He goes on to explain the concept of a "geographical indication mark" as a trademark and to address the question of why this trademark protection is important to Ethiopia.
Apparently, someone watched. Beneath Winter's video appears a comment, identified as from Matt Murray, who is a communications specialist at Starbucks, which says, in part:
"Since our 1st video was posted, a lot has happened. When we posted that video we felt the information was correct & since we've learned a lot & realized the information about the legality of the trademark was not accurate. Dub & other Starbucks partners recently visited Africa & met with the Ethiopian Govt. We agreed not to oppose Ethiopia's efforts to obtain trademarks for its specialty coffees."
The pursuit of justice is sometimes a slow grind, but thanks to YouTube, Winters, it appears, scored a venti victory.
Posted by Robert J. Ambrogi on March 2, 2007 at 05:33 PM | Permalink
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