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Starbucks sues Iowa union over social-media posts on Israel-Hamas conflict [1]
['Clark Kauffman', 'More From Author', '- October']
Date: 2023-10-19
Starbucks, the international coffee retailer, is suing an Iowa City labor union over its social-media posts about the Israel-Hamas conflict.
In a lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa, Starbucks alleges the “inflammatory and misleading communications” by Iowa City Starbucks Workers United have led to property damage, threats and calls for a boycott against the company.
The union’s social media posts are “in support of violence in Israel,” the lawsuit claims, and began immediately after reports emerged that Hamas had attacked civilians in Israel. In communicating its own messages about that and other issues, the union has used the Starbucks name, logo and other elements, causing readers to confuse the company with the union, the company alleges.
“Statements by Starbucks attempting to distinguish itself from the defendants and their positions have been to no avail,” the lawsuit states. The company is suing for trademark infringement and false affiliation in violation of state and federal law, alleging the union has damaged Starbucks’ reputation and business and weakened the “distinctive quality of Starbucks trademarks.”
Defendants in the case include Service Employees International Union and an affiliate, Starbucks Workers United, which represents a collective of Starbucks employees at 325 company-operated stores throughout the U.S., and the local chapter Iowa City Starbucks Workers United.
The defendants have adopted and use Starbuck Workers United logo, which appears to be modeled after the circular green Starbucks logo used on storefronts, products and advertising.
Beginning on Oct. 7, 2023, the day news broke of Hamas-led attacks on Israel, the unions posted or shared on their official social media accounts various statements calling for “Solidarity with Palestine.” The statements were accompanied by a photo of a bulldozer tearing down a fence on the Gaza Strip during the attack on Israel.
Also that day, the Iowa City chapter allegedly posted to social media statements calling for “the rest of the labor movement to stand in solidarity with the people of Palestine” and asking Americans to pressure their elected officials “to end military aid to Israel.” Other posts by the Iowa City chapter allegedly condemned “Israel’s crimes,” the “Israeli apartheid regime,” and the Israeli “onslaught against Gaza.”
The unions’ use of Starbucks-inspired logos have caused the general public to attribute such “inflammatory remarks” to Starbucks itself, the company claims.
Shortly after the posts surfaced on social media, the hashtag #BoycottStarbucks was trending on X, formerly known as Twitter, and “people all over the world were posting on various social media accounts, falsely stating that Starbucks supported terrorist organizations, the killing of innocent civilians, and multiple other things Starbucks unequivocally condemns,” the lawsuit claims.
The lawsuit notes that U.S. Rick Scott, a Republican from Florida, made a public statement criticizing Starbucks for allegedly supporting a terrorist organization and urging the public to “boycott Starbucks.” A Republican state representative from Florida, Randy Fine, allegedly shared Scott’s post and added the comment, “If you go to Starbucks, you are supporting killing Jews.”
Starbucks released a public statement attempting to point out that the offending statements were not made by Starbucks and were not endorsed by the company. However, the lawsuit claims, the unions’ “co-opting” of the Starbucks trademarks has continued to cause harm to the company as evidenced by ongoing threats against the company.
“Starbucks received hundreds of complaints from customers and other members of the public in the immediate aftermath, chastising and singling out Starbucks — not the defendants — for supporting Hamas,” the lawsuit claims.
On Oct. 13, 2023, the lawsuit alleges, a Starbucks store in Rhode Island was vandalized with a swastika painted on the front door and the Star of David painted on a door and window.
In addition, the lawsuit alleges the Starbucks customer hotline fielded numerous complaints with one individual saying, “How dare Starbucks be sympathetic to a terror organization? Was your son or daughter murdered? I didn’t think so. Shame on you!” Another caller allegedly stated, “After your ‘X’ post in support of baby-beheading, mass-murderous Palestinian terrorists, I and my family will never again set foot in a Starbucks location for any reason. Your post was utterly despicable and disgusting.”
The lawsuit seeks both a preliminary and a permanent injunction that would prevent the defendants from using the Starbucks trademarks or any imitations of those marks in a manner likely to cause confusion or dilution of the trademarks’ value.
The defendants have yet to file a response to the lawsuit.
Starbucks is the world’s largest coffee retailer with 54,000 locations in the United States and 80 foreign countries. In a press release, Starbucks stated that prior to the lawsuit’s filing, Starbucks Workers United’s president, Lynne Fox, rejected the company’s request to “take steps to ensure clarity and protect our partners.”
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[1] Url:
https://iowacapitaldispatch.com/2023/10/19/starbucks-sues-iowa-union-over-social-media-posts-on-israel-hamas-conflict/
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