The Starbucks sign at the soon-to-open The Cafe coffeeshop at The Place on Sihanouk Boulevard. The sign says "The Place does not possess Starbucks licence". (Photo by: Tracey Shelton)Cafe to cash in on intl brand
Wednesday, 25 March 2009
Written by Michael Fox
The Phnom Penh Post
A COFFEE shop sporting the Starbucks logo is scheduled to open on April 1 in Phnom Penh, despite having failed to secure a Starbucks licence, the store manager said on Tuesday.
Called The Cafe and situated in The Place on Sihanouk Boulevard, it is closely modelled on the American coffee giant.
The logo displayed on the window is a replica of the Starbucks logo, but a ring of text around the outside states: "The Place does not possess Starbucks licence".
Cafe manager Joshua Jones admitted they are not a licensed Starbucks store but said they would sell Starbucks coffee and products as well as use the logo.
Jones said he had not been involved in the legal proceedings around the design of the label, but was confident they were not infringing on Starbucks's trademark.
"Whatever we have done we have done within the law, and whatever repercussions that it might have, have been covered," he said, adding that the wording around the logo clarified this.
Previous applications for a Starbucks licence had been rebuffed. "We have applied for one a number of times, and each time we have been denied," he said.
"They're not interested in coming to Cambodia."
Starbucks is a US-based coffee giant with over 4,500 stores in 47 countries around the world, according to its website.
After a prolonged period of rapid expansion, the coffee giant is currently axing a number of its outlets around the world.
Since July last year it has announced the closure of over 900 stores worldwide. Its profits dropped by almost 70 percent in the final quarter of last year.
The company has been known to vigorously protect its intellectual property, though this appeared to be only in countries where it was already operating.
Starbucks has successfully sued outlets in the past for trademark infringement, including a Chinese chain that used a green and white logo with a similar sounding Chinese name.
It also prevented a US artist from profiting from a parody of the Starbucks logo which featured the words "consumer whore" around the outside.
Jones said his target market was 20-to 30-year-old unmarried professionals. He added that he expected foreigners who were familiar with the brand to be his major customers to begin with.
Lawyer Matthew Rendall, a partner at Sciaroni and Associates, said that unless The Cafe had permission from Starbucks, it appeared to be a blatant copyright violation.
"You can't go and use somebody else's logo to promote your own product or service without their permission, so unless they've got permission from Starbucks you'd have to assume that was a trademark violation," he said.
Rendall added that the Ministry of Commerce was very vigilant about protecting trademarks, on the basis that that business might try and enter the country one day.
"You've got to assume that at the very least it's false and misleading," he said.
Called The Cafe and situated in The Place on Sihanouk Boulevard, it is closely modelled on the American coffee giant.
The logo displayed on the window is a replica of the Starbucks logo, but a ring of text around the outside states: "The Place does not possess Starbucks licence".
Cafe manager Joshua Jones admitted they are not a licensed Starbucks store but said they would sell Starbucks coffee and products as well as use the logo.
Jones said he had not been involved in the legal proceedings around the design of the label, but was confident they were not infringing on Starbucks's trademark.
"Whatever we have done we have done within the law, and whatever repercussions that it might have, have been covered," he said, adding that the wording around the logo clarified this.
Previous applications for a Starbucks licence had been rebuffed. "We have applied for one a number of times, and each time we have been denied," he said.
"They're not interested in coming to Cambodia."
Starbucks is a US-based coffee giant with over 4,500 stores in 47 countries around the world, according to its website.
After a prolonged period of rapid expansion, the coffee giant is currently axing a number of its outlets around the world.
Since July last year it has announced the closure of over 900 stores worldwide. Its profits dropped by almost 70 percent in the final quarter of last year.
The company has been known to vigorously protect its intellectual property, though this appeared to be only in countries where it was already operating.
Starbucks has successfully sued outlets in the past for trademark infringement, including a Chinese chain that used a green and white logo with a similar sounding Chinese name.
It also prevented a US artist from profiting from a parody of the Starbucks logo which featured the words "consumer whore" around the outside.
Jones said his target market was 20-to 30-year-old unmarried professionals. He added that he expected foreigners who were familiar with the brand to be his major customers to begin with.
Lawyer Matthew Rendall, a partner at Sciaroni and Associates, said that unless The Cafe had permission from Starbucks, it appeared to be a blatant copyright violation.
"You can't go and use somebody else's logo to promote your own product or service without their permission, so unless they've got permission from Starbucks you'd have to assume that was a trademark violation," he said.
Rendall added that the Ministry of Commerce was very vigilant about protecting trademarks, on the basis that that business might try and enter the country one day.
"You've got to assume that at the very least it's false and misleading," he said.
19 comments:
they play the waiting game. also, don't forget due to the global economic crisis, the giant conglomerate, starbucks, closed many of their businesses around the world as they are losing consumers for their $5.00 a cup coffee. i guess with the economic going these days, $5.00 a cup for a coffee does add up, you know; so, naturally people stop buying starbucks coffee for this price. so, don't be surprised if they are reluctant to come do business in cambodia, especially during this economic crisis worldly. perhaps, it's not the right time for them to come to cambodia, yet! i always telling, don't wait too long, because cambodia is not waiting for anyone who are really scary of risk; plus, cambodia is not that risky anyway! come see for themselves! welcome all. god bless cambodia.
the western world don't really know cambodia too well. cambodia is a secret oasis, waiting to be rediscovered just like our magnificient angkor empire ruins. they will be shocked to see cambodia, once they discover us out here! god bless cambodia.
Godd luck, both, obove!
Please ask Hun Sen to have real laws in the country! And stop corruption!
i'm wondering is it against the trademark law to use their logo? i have a feeling it is starbucks secretly and low-profilely sneaking into cambodia for a niche of their conglomerate, but they are afraid to let the world know us they don't seem to want too much competition for their business. go watch out, cambodia is getting hotter these days! don't forget cambodia do have our own home grown coffee too, you know. i bet they probably never heard of the cambodian coffee, either! for me, i love the french style coffee such known in khmer as " o'lang" or cafe aulait. khmer people drink and dip the famous french baquette in this tasty khmer cafe or coffee in english. god bless cambodia.
cambodia don't need starbucks. we need automobile plants, agricultural plants, industrial plants, technology industry like computer and other electronic industry. we could careless about starbucks. we don't need a $5.00 per cup of coffee in cambodia. our people need skill training and technology, not another addictive drug like coffee. hello, wake up, people! if nobody wants to do business in cambodia, we will let china, korea and other asian countries do that. no problem; but don't hate us because you missed out! we did invite everybody to come, you know! don't wait too long! cambodia is not about only you, you know. we look everywhere in the world. and right now, china is the world's biggest and next superpower, so why wait too long? cambodia loves everybody as we have nothing against anyone, well, maybe we are not so fond of youn and siem, that everyone else is welcomed always! god bless cambodia.
Cambodia is a country of thieves. What do you expect?
++++
2:23: what an i diot!
Oh shut the fuck up! coffee is coffee. How it taste depend on how your roast the bean, and how you brew the damn think. Personally, I preferred coffee grown on the mountain. If it doesn't taste right, I will try to re-roast the bean. As for brewing, I bring a pot of water to boiling point, then I let the temperature drop about 15-20 degree Centigrade or so before I dump the grinded bean into it. And then strain with fine cloth filter and serve with condense milk and Chah Kwai for breakfast. In the afternoon, I usually do Ice coffee instead.
WTF LOL
Starbuck should sue the cpp.
STARBUCK SUCKS
Vietnamese good in faking!!!!!
Breaking Scandal news:
Sam Rainsy has been caught in a compromising situation regarding homosexual acts taken place in a restaurant in Phnom Penh. The source is unconfirmed at the moment about the name of the victim. The victim however has filed a complaint accusing Sam Rainsy of trying to solicit sexual favors from him in the man's washroom in a restaurant in Phnom Penh.
5$ a cup of coffee. I'll be damned. I'd rather drink khmer coffee, or I'd go for Kopi Luwak..lol
Huh? like that also can? can simply use ppl's logo?
Anonymous said...
ពួកអ្នកឯងប៉ុន្មាននាក់នេះមិនគួរពួកពលពត
មិនយកជីវិតឲ្យអស់នៅក្នុងឆ្នំា១៩៧៥ទៅទល់
ឆ្នាំ១៩៧៩សោះពួកអ្នកឯងប៉ុន្មាននាក់ធ្វើ
ឲ្យប្រទេសខ្មែរក្រឡាប់ចាក់អស់ហើយ
ពួកអ្នកឯងទាំងអស់គ្នានេះគឺជាពួកអគតិ។
គ្មានការពិចារណាបន្តិចសោះដោយជឿតែ
ពួកជនបរទេស។ពួកអ្នកឯងទាំងអស់គ្នា
ហ្នឹងមិនមែនជាខ្មែរទេគឺពួកភេវរកម្មធ្វើ
ឲ្យប្រទេសខ្មែរបែកបាក់សាម្គីរដ្ធាភិបាល
គួរតែយកពួកនេះទៅញាត់កុកទៅ
ទើបអស់រឿង។ហើយទើបវាសំមុក។
dont' be afraid of competition, starbucks. let everyone know your company is coming to cambodia. we all know this by see the company logo above. welcome to cambodia, please bring more companies to cambodia from the USA. god bless cambodia.
Breaking Scandal news:
HUN SEN AND HUN MANET have been caught in a compromising situation regarding homosexual acts taken place in a restaurant in Phnom Penh. The source is unconfirmed at the moment about the name of the victim. The victim however has filed a complaint accusing HUN SEN AND HUN MANET of trying to solicit sexual favors from him in the man's washroom in a restaurant in Phnom Penh.
By 4:39 AM
StarBucks coffee buyers are the foolish people and try to show off their buying power to other people who buy 7/11 coffee. These people are crazy to pay for $5 a cup of coffee. The price is more than a gallon of gasoline where it's very difficult to bring it up from underground. I only visited Starbucks coffee store once since it opened its doors. I'm not a foolish person to pay for the foolish price.
Only the foolish people paid for that price. I rather made my own coffee with Costco cream at home. It tastes better than Starbucks. I'm not a selfish person, but I'm fool to wait in line for Starbucks coffee and show off to other people that carry in their hand with Starbucks cup.
Don't expect foreign government to invest and open the factories such as electronic manufacturers in Cambodia as long as Hun Sen's corruption still existed. No one including my self won't invest in Cambodia. Only a bunch of foolish people go to Cambodia to buy properties. They will see one day Hun Sen will confiscate their properties as well. Cambodia applies Jungle Law because their leaders come from Jungle themselves. So what do you expect?
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