Starbucks Inc. (Seattle) has opened its first coffee shop in Russia, two years after it won a legal battle to protect the right to its brand in the fast-growing Russian market.
In 2005 the company won a trademark fight over the Starbucks name. A “squatter” had registered to himself the right to use the name in Russia, and was asking $600,000 from Starbucks to relinquish it. The company successfully proved in Russia courts that it was the rightful owner of the name.
The Russian Starbucks is in the Mega shopping mall in Khimki, just north of Moscow.
“This is an important step for the company, and we are looking forward to being a part of every day life for Russians,” said Cliff Burrows, president of Starbucks Europe, Middle East and Africa. Burrows told Reuters the company plans to open a second store on Moscow's historic Stary Arbat street before the end of the year.
Starbucks currently operates in 43 countries.