Starbucks vs. Ethiopia

By Stephan Faris, Fortune

February 26 2007: 5:56 AM EST

The country that gave the world the coffee bean and the company that invented the $4 latte are fighting over a trademark, says Fortune's Stephan Faris.

一個是為世界生產咖啡豆的國家，一個是發明 4 美元一杯的拿鐵咖啡的公司
，為爭奪一個商標，雙方展開激烈爭戰。

To produce a pound of organic sun-dried coffee, farmers in the southern Ethiopian village of Fero spread six pounds of ripe, red coffee cherries onto pallets near their fields. They sun the fruit for 15 days, stirring every few minutes to ensure uniform dryness, then shuck the shells.

埃塞俄比亞南部 Fero 村的咖啡農需要把 6 磅成熟紅咖啡果粒放在田邊的草墊上曬幹，才能生產出一磅天然幹咖啡。他們把咖啡果粒攤在太陽下曬 15 天


，每隔幾分鍾就要翻動一次
，以保證幹度均勻，然後再剝去果殼。

Last season, that pound of coffee fetched farmers an average price of $1.45. Figuring in the cost of generator fuel, bank interest, labor and transport across Ethiopia's dusty roads, it netted them less than $1. In the U.S., however, that same pound of coffee commands a much higher price: $26 for a bag of Starbucks' roasted Shirkina Sun-Dried Sidamo.

在上個季度，對於這樣一磅咖啡，咖啡農平均隻賣到 1.45 美元的價錢，再扣除電機燃料
、銀行利息、勞務費和埃塞俄比亞土路運輸費等各項成本
，每磅咖啡中咖啡農淨賺不到 1 美元。然而，在美國，同樣的一磅咖啡要價卻高得多: 一袋星巴克牌烘炒 Shirkina 曬幹西達摩居然賣到 26 美元的高價。

The price differential, says Getachew Mengistie, head of Ethiopia's Intellectual Property Office, is evidence that his country has been unable to capitalize on what he calls its intellectual property. The Fero coffee is an extreme example, but it's not the only one. Ethiopia's specialty beans routinely retail abroad for three times the price of ordinary coffee.

埃塞俄比亞知識產權署總長格答喬•孟吉斯蒂（Getachew Mengistie）說，這個差價證明他的國家未能很好地利用其所說的知識產權。Fero 咖啡就是一個極端的例子，但不是唯一的例子。埃塞俄比亞的土產咖啡豆通常照例銷往海外
，售價是普通咖啡的三倍。

Getachew, who like most Ethiopians goes by his given name, argues that if the higher rates were simply the product of investments in roasting, packaging or marketing, distributors could do the same with any coffee. Since they don't, he says, some of the extra value must originate where the beans are grown. "There is clearly an intangible value in the specialty coffee of Ethiopia," he says. "But it's not being captured here."

就像絕大多數埃塞俄比亞人一樣，格答喬使用教名相稱。他說，假如價格上漲僅僅隻是在咖啡烘炒、baozhuanghuoyingxiaoguochengzhongtouzidejieguo，name，jingxiaoshangyongrenheyizhongkafeidouyingnengdedaotongyangdejieguo。tashuo，jiranjingxiaoshangmenzuobudaozheyidian，zhejiushuomingyouyibufenchaojiazhikendinglaiyuanyukafeidoudechandi。tashuo: “很顯然，在埃塞俄比亞的土產咖啡中有某種無形價值，但埃塞俄比亞卻沒有拿到這部分無形價值。”

That observation put the country that is the birthplace of the coffee bean on a collision course with the company that gave the world the $4 latte. The conflict began in March 2005, when Ethiopia filed with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to trademark the names of three coffee-producing regions: Yirgacheffe, Harrar and Sidamo, where Fero is located.

這種看法促使這個咖啡豆出產國踏上了同星巴克公司衝突的道路。後者是一家向世界推出 4 美元一杯的拿鐵咖啡的公司。這場衝突從 2005 年 3 月份開始。當時
，埃塞俄比亞向美國專利與商標署提出申請
，要求用 3 個咖啡產地的名稱作為商標: 這 3 個咖啡產地分別是耶加雪
、哈拉爾和西達摩，Fero 村正位於西達摩境內。

It was an attempt to use tools usually reserved for corporations in developed economies to wrest profit from their distributors. By seizing control of these brands, the Ethiopian government planned to force those who sell its coffee into licensing agreements, eventually obtaining a larger share of the sales.

這zhe一yi行xing動dong意yi在zai利li用yong通tong常chang為wei發fa達da國guo家jia的de公gong司si所suo保bao留liu的de手shou段duan
，從cong經jing銷xiao商shang手shou中zhong爭zheng奪duo一yi部bu分fen利li潤run。埃ai塞sai俄e比bi亞ya政zheng府fu計ji劃hua通tong過guo獲huo得de這zhe些xie品pin牌pai的de控kong製zhi權quan，迫po使shi銷xiao售shou其qi咖ka啡fei的de那na些xie公gong司si簽qian訂ding許xu可ke證zheng協xie議yi，最zui終zhong獲huo得de更geng大da部bu分fen的de銷xiao售shou額e。

But in the case of Sidamo, Starbucks (Charts) had got there first, with an application the year before to trademark Shirkina Sun-Dried Sidamo. Until that application was resolved, Ethiopia's claim could not go forward. The country asked Starbucks to drop its claim but received no answer for more than a year, says Kassahun Ayele, Ethiopia's ambassador to the U.S. at the time: "They said, 'You have to talk to our lawyers.'"

但是，在西達摩這一事情上，星巴克首先占到了先機，在年前就已申請用“Shirkina 曬幹西達摩”這(zhe)個(ge)名(ming)稱(cheng)的(de)注(zhu)冊(ce)商(shang)標(biao)。在(zai)這(zhe)一(yi)申(shen)請(qing)最(zui)終(zhong)得(de)到(dao)裁(cai)定(ding)之(zhi)前(qian)，埃(ai)塞(sai)俄(e)比(bi)亞(ya)的(de)要(yao)求(qiu)不(bu)可(ke)能(neng)有(you)任(ren)何(he)進(jin)展(zhan)。該(gai)國(guo)要(yao)求(qiu)星(xing)巴(ba)克(ke)放(fang)棄(qi)其(qi)注(zhu)冊(ce)商(shang)標(biao)的(de)要(yao)求(qiu)，但(dan)一(yi)年(nian)多(duo)來(lai)沒(mei)有(you)得(de)到(dao)任(ren)何(he)答(da)複(fu)。埃(ai)塞(sai)俄(e)比(bi)亞(ya)當(dang)年(nian)駐(zhu)美(mei)國(guo)大(da)使(shi)卡(ka)薩(sa)恩(en)•艾萊（Kassahun Ayele）說: “他們說，你必須去同我們的律師商談。”

The coffee company's objection was to Ethiopia's choice of intellectual-property protection. Trademarking is an unusual, though not unprecedented, choice for a geographic region. It gives the holder the exclusive right to use the name in branding, but it doesn't place any requirements on the product. Instead, Starbucks argues, Ethiopia would be better served by another form of protection, called geographic certification, used for such products as Idaho potatoes, Roquefort cheese and Florida oranges. It guarantees that the product comes from the stated region but allows others to use the name in their branding. Jamaican Blue Mountain and Kona coffees have geographic certifications. "I can't name one case where there are trademarks for coffee," says Dub Hay, senior vice president for coffee and global procurement at Starbucks.

zhejiakafeigongsijujuedeliyoushi，aisaiebiyabuyingxuanzezhishichanquanbaohudezhetiaotujing。geiyigediliquyuzhuceshangbiao，suishuobingfeimeiyouxianli，danquehenbuxunchang。yinweiyongdimingzhuceshangbiao
，shishangbiaoyongyouzhezaipinpaijianshezhongxiangyoushiyonggaimingchengdeduzhanquan
，danqueduixiangyingdechanpinmeiyourenhedeyaoqiu。xiangfan，xingbakebiancheng
，aisaiebiyajiarucaiyonglingyizhongbaohuxingshi，kenenghuidedaogenghaodebaohu。zhelingyizhongbaohuxingshijiaozuo“地理證明”，已用於諸如愛達荷甜薯、luokefuyangruganlaohefoluolidachengjucileidechanpin。tabaozhengchanpinlaiyuanyusuoshudediqu，dantongshiyezhunxuqitarenzaiqipinpaizhongshiyongzhegemingcheng。yamaijiadelanshanhekenakafeidouyoudilizhengming。xingbakegongsikafeihequanqiucaigougaojifuzongcaidabu•海（Dub Hay）說: “用地名作為咖啡商標的例子
，我連一個也找不到。”

Ethiopia doesn't deny that its choice is unorthodox, countering that its industry, in which 95 percent of the coffee is produced by two million subsistence-level farmers, is too unwieldy and impoverished to take on the administrative burden required to guarantee geographic origin. "If you set up certification, you have to bear the cost," says Ron Layton, head of Light Years IP, a nonprofit intellectual-property consultancy that has been advising Ethiopia.

埃塞俄比亞並不否認自己的選擇不合常規。它反駁說，在這個行業中，95% 的咖啡都是由 200 wankafeinongshengchande，zhexiekafeinongpaihuaizaishengcunxianbianyuan
，laodongtaifanzhong，shenghuotaipinqiongle，genbenchengdanbuqibaozhengdililaiyuansuoxuyaodeguanlifudan。guangnianzhishichanquangongsi（Light Years IP）總裁羅恩•雷頓（Ron Layton）說: “如果你進行了認證
，你就不得不承擔相應的成本。”這是一家非營利性的知識產權顧問機構，一直向埃塞俄比亞提供顧問服務。

More to the point, certification wouldn't require distributors to seek permission to use the names in their branding. Starbucks, for instance, could still sell Shirkina Sun-Dried Sidamo, as long as its beans came from the region. "It doesn't give you that control over the market," says Getachew.

gengyizhenjianxuedeshi，renzhengbingbunengyaoqiujingxiaoshangyaojingguoxukecainengzaiqipinpaizhongshiyongzhexiemingcheng。liru，zhiyaoqisuocaiyongdekafeidouyuanyuzhegediqu

，xingbakerengrankenenghuixiaoshou Shirkina 曬幹西達摩。格答喬說: “認證
，它並不能賦予你對市場的控製權。”

To blunt some of the opposition, Ethiopia has said it will not ask for royalties for its trademarked beans. The initial licensing requirements would be simply to label the beans prominently on the package and help in the promotion of Ethiopian coffee. "When demand for Ethiopian coffee grows, we will be able to ask for higher prices," says Getachew. Only if that strategy fails, he says, would other options, such as minimum prices, be pursued.

weilejianshaofanduiyijian，aisaiebiyayijingshengmingduiqizhuceshangbiaodekafeidoubuyaoqiutichengfei。chubudetexuquanguidingzhishizaibaozhuangshangmingxianditieshangkafeidoudeshangbiao，yiyouzhuyucuxiaoaisaiebiyadekafei。gedaqiaoshuo: “這樣
，當埃塞俄比亞咖啡需求量增加時

，我們就能索要高價。”他說
，隻有當這項戰略不能奏效時，才會采用其他途徑
，如設定最低限價。

For Starbucks, the scenario is a potential public relations disaster, pitting the coffee company, which had record revenue of $7.8 billion last year, up 22 percent over 2005, against one of the world's poorest countries. The Seattle company has no shops in Ethiopia or indeed in sub-Saharan Africa, but Starbucks does source 2 percent of its beans from Ethiopia, accounting for 2 percent of the country's crop. It has also spent $2.4 million in investments and loans in Ethiopia since 2002. "We need these coffee farmers to be in business," says Hay.

對dui於yu星xing巴ba克ke來lai說shuo，這zhe個ge情qing景jing無wu異yi於yu一yi場chang潛qian在zai的de公gong關guan災zai難nan
，迫po使shi它ta深shen陷xian同tong世shi界jie上shang最zui貧pin困kun國guo家jia一yi爭zheng高gao下xia的de泥ni淖nao。這zhe家jia西xi雅ya圖tu公gong司si去qu年nian營ying業ye收shou入ru突tu破po曆li史shi紀ji錄lu
，達da到dao 78 億美元，比 2005 年增加了 22%。它在埃塞俄比亞

，甚至在整個非洲撒哈拉以南地區都沒有一家店鋪
，但卻的確有 2% 的咖啡豆是從埃塞俄比亞采購，占到該國總收成的 2%。自 2002 年以來

，它已經在埃塞俄比亞花費 240 萬美元進行投資和貸款。海說: “我們需要這些咖啡農繼續經營下去。”

Nobody is arguing that the farmers have it easy. In a UN ranking of human development, Ethiopia placed 170th out of 177 countries. A recent visit to Fero found most coffee farmers working without shoes. Their clothes were ripped. Most live in mud huts with thatched roofs and subsist on the fruits and vegetables they grow. "We are angry," says Teshome Debigo, a 28-year-old farmer. "But to whom can we cry?"

沒人會說這些咖啡農過得舒適安逸。根據聯合國一項人類發展排序，在 177 國家中，埃塞俄比亞排在第 170 位。最近對 Fero 村的一次考察發現
，絕大多數咖啡農幹活時連鞋子都沒有
，衣服破爛不堪。大多數人居住在茅草屋頂的土屋中，靠自種的水果、蔬菜勉強為生。28 歲的咖啡農特紹姆•德比戈（Teshome Debigo）說: “我們非常氣憤，但我們能對誰哭訴呢？”