Three Haida men in a 1500-person town on Queen Charlotte Island in northern BC opened a restaurant in a longhouse called HaidaBucks, because locals call the Haida men “Haida Bucks.” Now they’re being sued by Starbucks for trademark infringement.
Swanson says his restaurant has a longhouse facade and looks nothing like a Starbucks. HaidaBucks is a 60-seat full service restaurant offering everything from coffee to quesadillas to seafood specials.
Officials at the coffee conglomerate say they will take legal action to stop the “confusing variation” of their name.
“I couldn’t see a StarBucks opening here for another 150 years…it’s a pretty isolated place,” Swanson says refering to the town of Masset, population 1,500.
(Thanks, Derryl!)