The media campaign spearheaded by Oxfam has sparked a widespread discussion among the public. Starbucks’ business tactics also have made their way out, through its press releases, only leaving readers perplexed. I hope the following Q&A will clarify some of the questions surrounding the trademark issues being debated throughout the past few weeks. As far as my own research goes, this Fine Coffee Trademark Licensing Initiative is part of an innovative and sophisticated strategy to claim a greater share of the export value of its products and which rightly belongs to its people. The Fine Coffee Trademark Licensing Initiative aims at securing Ethiopia’s legal ownership of its specialty coffee names through trademark registration. The project is funded in part by the UK’s Department for International Development. According to Oxfam, “intellectual property assets such as technological know-how, patents, trademarks, brand names and copyrights increasingly make up the majority of the pro...