Starbucks vs. Starbarks

Starbucks vs. Starbarks In this day in age, you would be hard pressed to find an individual – young or old – who does not recognize the name Starbucks. The coffeehouse franchise has made a worldwide name for itself; and it turns out, the company will go to great lengths to make sure others do not reap the same rewards. A doggie day-care in Algonquin, IL chose the name Starbarks and is, unfortunately, experiencing severe backlash from the multi-million coffee chain. Starbucks is prepared to take Starbarks to court in order to protect their trademarked property, but Starbarks isn’t sure they can handle this fight. “The risk of not winning is scary”, Andrea McCarthy-Grzybek, co-owner of Starbarks, said. If Starbarks loses in court, they risk having to pay Starbucks’ lawyer fees to whatever extent they incurred them. The owners aren’t sure it is worth it. This Illinois based company isn’t the only one using the Starbarks brand, however. There is a pet-groomer in Connecticut, a mobile pet-spa in Memphis, and many other locations that all use the same name. The owners checked with these other businesses and none of them have faced any action from Starbucks. The owners of Starbarks are hoping to find a compromise with Starbarks; they would like to just change their colors from green to yellow and the star aspect of the logo to paws. But, if Starbucks doesn’t agree, Starbarks will surrender to the pressure of big-company power and change their name. The ethical dilemma that I see here: why is Starbucks going after this small dog day-care business in a small town in Illinois? You cannot drive through the tiniest towns in this country without seeing a Starbucks anymore. I’m from a village of 30,000, and we have three of them in our city-limits. I understand that they are trying to protect their brand, but this might be taking it a little too far. The business that Starbarks will generate has no affect on the profits of Starbucks. The companies have no