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Michigan coffee shop battling behemoth over green logo
By McClatchy Newspapers
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DETROIT -- Who would have thought a little green circle could cause so much trouble?

Conga Coffee & Tea shops in Michigan have been threatened with a lawsuit because Starbucks Coffee Co. contends the logo used by the local firm bears a “striking resemblance’’ to the international chain’s logo, according to a letter sent on behalf of Starbucks by the Southfield, Mich., legal firm of Brooks Kushman.

Starbucks’ internationally famous logo depicts a split-finned siren in the middle of a green circle. Conga’s green circle surrounds a silhouette of an elephant.

The Starbucks letter asserts that the Conga logo is “likely to cause consumers to think that Conga is an authorized licensee of Starbucks.’’

Not so, say Conga’s customers.

“It says ‘Conga’ right there on the sign,’’ Denise Reedy, 41, said as she sipped a German chocolate latte at the Mt. Clemens, Mich., shop Thursday. “There’s not much chance I’m going to get confused.’’

Starbucks has a history of suing for trademark infringement — with mixed results. The company lost a suit in Korea against a roving coffee sales company called Starpreya.

A U.S. District judge ruled against Starbucks in one suit targeting a New Hampshire man for selling a dark-roasted coffee blend he called “Charbucks. “

But the company has won other legal battles, including some in which the siren logo was altered to include breasts and vulgar words.

Attorney Melanie Frazier, who’s representing Conga owner Michael Dregiewicz, said she is researching past lawsuits and plans to respond to Starbucks’ Oct. 22 letter by early next week.

Dregiewicz said Starbucks’ worries that he is trying to emulate the chain are ironic. “Our customers hate their coffee,’’ said Dregiewicz, 51, who has owned the 11-year-old Mt. Clemens Conga since February. “My sign is round and green and always has been. It’s not even the same shade of green as theirs.’’

So far, 250 customers have signed a petition in Dregiewicz’s shop in hope that it will convince Starbucks that local residents know the difference between the coffeehouses.

The St. Clair Shores, Mich., Conga shop also is rejecting Starbucks’ claims, employees there said. Messages left for owners there weren’t returned.

The two stores were initially linked, but in the intervening 11 years, they have separated and overlap now in name and logo only.

Dregiewicz estimated that changing his location’s logo would cost up to $5,000 in reprinted business cards, products and awnings.

Attorney Hope Shovein, who wrote the letter on behalf of Starbucks, did not return phone calls.

“I don’t believe that there’s any confusion,’’ said Frazier, who acknowledged “some similarity’’ in the logos. “People in downtown Mt. Clemens are smart enough to know the difference.’’

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