Starbucks tried to stop a small family owned coffee shop from selling a product called “Charbucks.”  They were worried that it would distort the Starbucks image as the name is associated with the Charbucks specialized dark roast coffee. This relates with brand positioning and displays Starbucks caution with their brand name as it can be a very fragile thing.  Starbucks does not want any business to have the power to potentially disturb the brand they have worked so hard to establish.  However, “the 2nd US Circuit Court of Appeals said Black Bear Micro Roastery and its owner, Wolfe’s Borough Coffee Inc, may keep selling “Charbucks Blend,” “Mister Charbucks” and “Mr. Charbucks” coffee.”  This is due to the fact that the court found the name weakly associated with Starbucks.  It is very interesting to note how Starbucks was worried about a small family owned coffee shop, as Starbucks is such a large corporation.  This shows the power of a brand and how important it is to small and large businesses to ensure that its brand name is not tainted and that it has strong brand positioning among its customers.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/11/15/starbucks-charbucks-lawsuit-idUSL2N0J01DZ20131115