It all started when Starbucks filed a complaint against the Pakistani cafe named Sattar Buksh, which also had its logo very similar to the logo of Starbucks. Starbucks, which hadn’t established outlets in Pakistan then, took objection. It argued that Sattar Buksh’s name and look could cause confusion and could also dilute its trademark.
What started as a dream of owning a cafe in Pakistan by a duo is now making global headlines for defeating a multinational coffeehouse chain, Starbucks, in court. It all started when Starbucks filed a complaint against the Pakistani cafe named Sattar Buksh, which also had its logo very similar to the logo of Starbucks. Starbucks, which hadn’t established outlets in Pakistan then, took objection. It argued that Sattar Buksh’s name and look could cause confusion and could also dilute its trademark.
The duo, named Rizwan Ahmad and Adnan Yousuf, started Sattar Buksh in Karachi back in 2013. When Starbucks started a legal dispute, the founders said that their cafe was built with satire in mind. They pointed out differences in logo elements (fonts, figures, colours).
They emphasised that the name “Sattar Buksh” has a long cultural legacy in Pakistan, with the help of the mention of the name in a 500-year-old Arabic book. The cafe also blended local food and a mixed aesthetic, and claims that it wasn’t trying to be a mirror image. Over time, the branding was tweaked to reduce resemblance. Disclaimers were put to clarify that there was no affiliation with Starbucks.
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