Talks are underway between Ethiopian representatives and Starbucks. No details are released but Getachew Mengistie, Director, Ethiopia Intellectual Property Office (EIPO) and other unnamed representatives are meeting with Starbucks executives for a second day. The meeting began on May 1, 2007 and continued today, for a second day, here in Seattle. Reportedly, the government representatives said they hold high hopes to reach an “agreement” with Starbucks but it is not clear as to what exactly their expectations are. Early this year, Starbucks and the Ethiopian government issued a joint statement declaring that they had reached agreement. Three months later, they are still holding a closed-door meeting and hope to reach an agreement. On the other hand, the second Ethiopian Coffee Trademark Stakeholders’ meeting will be held on May 3, 2007 at the SCAA annual conference and exhibition venue. The outcome of the meeting between Starbucks and Getachew’s team may not be detrimental to the sta...