'Starbung' coffee vendor settles name dispute out of court
A Thai coffee vendor has dropped his "Starbung Coffee" signboard after Starbucks brought him to court for intellectual property rights violations, the defendant said Thursday.
"We met halfway in an out-of-court settlement," said Damrong Maslee, a Bangkok street coffee vendor whose legal tussle with the US multinational has brought him social media fame in Thailand.
Last month, a Thai law firm filed a complaint on behalf of Starbucks Coffee Company against Damrong, 44, for not complying with an injunction issued in 2012 to remove the "Starbung Coffee" logo from his sidewalk stall in the Thai capital.
The international coffee giant demanded compensation of Bt300,000 (9,700 dollars), plus 30,000 baht (970 dollars) a month in legal fees.
"They agreed to drop the demand for compensation, and I agreed to stop using a circular sign for my coffee shop logo," Damrong told dpa.
He has also changed the name of his sidewalk coffee shop to "Bung's Tears," showing a man in a Muslim cap crying.
"Bung" means brother in Malay.//DPA