As reported in this commentary, Ethiopia wants to achieve recognition for its trademark rights through either voluntary acceptance or federal registrations. [New comers to the story, visit The Dispute at a Glance on the side bar of this page.] The voluntary acceptance of Ethiopia’s trademark rights calls for Starbucks and other coffee importers to first acknowledge the country’s ownership of the coffee names Harar, Sidamo, and Yirgacheffe and then sign a Licensing Agreement. This is the least expensive option for a poor country as Ethiopia. Despite the high hopes by many that international corporations who have been advertising themselves as development partners for such countries as Ethiopia would cheer the voluntary Licensing Agreement, this option faced a blow when Starbucks, the world’s coffee giant, opposed to it. Starbucks’ opposition came as a surprise as it does not equate with what the company claims to have stood for. This triggered a public call by Oxfam and over 90,000 cons...