I’ll have a Freddoccino I mean a Frappuccino. Oh I don’t know I’m confused!
Frappuccino v Freddoccino Trademark row
Starbucks has sued a rival coffee chain alleging infringement of its trademarks for the term ‘Frappuccino’.
Starbucks claims that the Canadian company Obsidian’s Freddoccino drink infringes its trademarks.
Frappuccino is a frozen coffee often sold with whipped cream. Starbucks owns four registered trademarks for the term, an example can be viewed here: https://www.ipo.gov.uk/tmcase/Results/4/EU000175471
Starbucks said: “Obsidian’s unlawful actions are causing immediate and irreparable harm to Starbucks, as well as harming consumers of frozen blended beverages in New York State and elsewhere. The Freddoccino mark is similar to Starbucks’ famous Frappuccino mark in appearance, sound, and connotation: both begin with FR–, contain four syllables, end with –CCINO, and evoke a European-inspired cold coffee beverage,” the complaint concluded.
Do you think the trademarks are confusingly similar?
