THE OWNERS OF the Exit 6 Pub and Brewery in suburban St Louis, Missouri were surprised to receive a legal letter from Starbucks last month.
Why? Because they sell a microbrew beer called the Frappicino.
The letter from Starbucks lawyer Anessa Owen Kramer noted that the Seattle-based company “is the owner of a number of world-famous trademarks, including the well-known FRAPPUCCINO trademark.” It said that the words are “phonetically identical” and that Exit 6′s use of Frappicino “is likely to cause confusion, mistake.”
So Exit 6 owner Jeff Britton sent a very sarcastic response addressed to ‘Mr Bucks’. He wrote that his business
never thought that our beer drinking customers would have thought that the alcoholic beverage coming out of the tap would have actually been coffee from one of the many, many, many stores located a few blocks away.
The letter said Exit 6 would no longer use the term Frappicino, and would instead refer to its beer as the F Word.
Britton also included a cheque for $6, which he said would cover his profit from the use of the word ‘Frappicino’.
Britton said yesterday that he brewed up a new batch of The F Word last Friday. By then, the dispute was already drawing attention on social media, and the beer sold out in three hours. He’s contemplating making more, based on the calls, emails and Facebook messages of support he said he’s received from around the world.
“It’s been unbelievable,” Britton said. “People are just saying, ‘Hey, read the story, good job.’ I’m getting emails and Facebook messages from Germany, China, England. People are just clamouring for it.”
Starbucks spokeswoman Laurel Harper said the company was glad the brewery agreed to stop using the name.
“This was a respectful request asking Exit 6 to refrain from using the term ‘Frappicino,’ which differs by only one letter from our ‘Frappucino’ product,” she said.
“We always prefer to resolve trademark disputes informally and amicably, and we appreciate them respecting our request to avoid confusion among customers.”
