Synopsis of the case of Ethiopia’s battle against Starbucks over trademarks “For every cup of Ethiopian coffee Starbucks sells, Ethiopian farmers earn 3¢. Tell Starbucks: Honor your commitments to coffee farmers.” – Oxfam, October, 2006 "Ethiopia salutes Starbucks for its exemplary display of global corporate citizenship." - Dr. Samuel Assefa, the Ethiopian Ambassador to the United States, June 20, 2007 “We don’t have any additional information to provide beyond what Ambassador Samuel Assefa and Getachew Mengistie already shared.” – Stacey Krum, Starbucks Global Brand Communication, August 3, 2007 The trademark dispute between Ethiopia and Starbucks has ended with a bizarre and mysterious accord. Ethiopia, one of the ancient civilizations in the world, collided with a symbol of globalization and, to some extent, challenged the status-quo without success. The outcome should serve third-world countries as a reminder of the harsh reality that they have far go to get control o...