[For those new to the Ethiopia coffee trademark issue, start here]
One of the more odd arguments against Ethiopia’s trademarking its coffees comes from the Ethiopian Review.
This pub basically opposes trademarking of Ethiopian coffees — NOT because of anything having to do with the legalities or rights of trademarking — but because the profits from trademarking would allegedly go “to foreign bank accounts belonging to close family members of Meles Zenawi and Sheik Al Amoudi who control much of the country’s agricultural, mining, transportation and other industries.”
This argument, basically, asserts that the Ethiopian govt. is corrupt — so efforts that might benefit the govt. financially should be avoided.
However, this contention has some serious inaccuracies. For one, this article sez royalty fees’ll be siphoned off by the government. However, according to Light Years IP, the trademark licenses are being offered royalty free. Clearly, the government can’t siphon off non-existent royalty fees.
Yes, the Ethiopian farmers are expected to make more money via trademarks. However, this money does NOT come from royalty fees. The money comes via a long-term project that will create a network of distributors who can manage and build the rep of the trademarked coffees.
Furthermore, coffee farmers’ reps too have come out in support of the trademarking efforts, which makes it seem that the coffee farmers feel the trademarking efforts will be benefitial for them.
For example, Tadesse Meskela, star of Black Gold and the head of the Oromia Union of Cooperatives, supports trademarking. The Ethiopian Review’s argument seems off-base and misinformed.
Redeem Ethiopia argues that even if the money did go to a corrupt government, it wouldn’t really make a difference financially from the status quo at the moment: “Ethiopian farmers could care less if $80 million dollars goes to Starbucks or London banks in the mean time. All they care about is that they secure rights to their property for when they can exercise that right.”
Update, 12/30/06: Redeem Ethiopia’s latest remarks on this issue — “Our position is that the specialty coffee brands are IP of the Ethiopian farmers. The fact that their government has been hijacked by EPRDF thugs does not mean that the IP doesn’t belong to them. Thus, we separate the issue of finding ways to make sure that they are paid royalties from the issue of who owns it.”
Actually, not that odd of an argument. I’ve heard this from a wide range of people-from an Ethiopian cab driver last week to people I know in the Ethiopian coffee business. The current administration isn’t very well equiped to do anything other than frame its oponents as terrorists and siphon money out of the country (wonder where they’re taking their cue…hmm…sounds familiar.)
But this doesn’t justify Starbuck’s shameless behavior. Their argument that geographical certification is better is ridiculous. In any other appellation scheme around the world, trademarking is inseperable from geographical certification (look to wine in Europe.) So, Ethiopia needs a good system of appellation control. But the problem is, the current government, or any other perhaps, would make a disaster of it.
Trademarking is a very important step-because no one else should own the rights to Ethiopian place names besides Ethiopians. From trademarking comes licensing and $$$. Sadly, Ethiopia, like many African nations, is rife with elites who care only about ripping off their own people so they and their family members can live in the lap of luxury outside the county. Even if there was an Ethiopian trademark for their coffee regions, it wouldn’t necessarily mean that farmers would be better off. Fair Trade is the only way to know farmers are getting a fair price for their harvests.
Comment by Anonymous — December 20, 2006 @ 2:34 pm
Hey Anon — I think we both agree that — while the Ethiopian govt. might be corrupt — that’s not the central issue surrounding this trademarking fight.
Comment by Siel — December 20, 2006 @ 5:05 pm
regardless of the “would go to the corrupts” school of thought, if the ownership of this trademark would benefit a single farmer in ethiopia..it definetely would be worth fighting for.
Comment by the-gate-keeper — December 20, 2006 @ 8:48 pm
I think it is worth mentioning majority of Ethiopian Review (ER) readers that had posted opinions regarding the article posted on ER had vehemently opposed the view presented by ER.
To me, the article takes a cynical view of the effort and misses not only the big picture but the whole picture all together …
Comment by Anonymous — December 20, 2006 @ 9:42 pm
for those of you who have not experienced or do not know about the nature of the current parasatic dictatorship in ethiopia it is easy to dismiss what Ethiopian Review has said.
Comment by balambaras — December 21, 2006 @ 12:31 am
The Ethiopian Review’s unfortunate and sole approach of explaining any issue (from religious to environmental, from regional to local issue) is to characterize a negative cause-effect relationship of issues and the Ethiopian government no matter how wild and far-fetched the connection happens to be. This is true and clear for all of us who care to read regularly and who care for truth to prevail in achieveing a better Ethiopia.
The problem is ER’s irrational approach goes to the extent of opposing its own mission and interest.
Unfortunately some of the cyber dominant Ethiopian writers are from the same school of thought.
Their motto is “my way or the high way”.
http://www.ethiopiafirst.com/news2006/Dec/Egocentric_Elements.html
Comment by Hamma Dhuma — December 21, 2006 @ 2:16 am
ER might have a point about the corruption that is going on but I would not stop this government from doing the right thing because the current gov’t days are numbered. Eventually, the farmers may beneifit.
Comment by Abol Jeba — December 21, 2006 @ 8:17 am
Where ever there is private assets are, there is the minority Tigreans driving off well established coffee farmers, residents of shakicho and on …
The buldozing individuals homes, selling off their coffee farms by this regime is enough clue to who is going to replace the current coffee farmers.
Doctor Getachew Jiggi have elaborated on to what sorts of flagrants abuses, daylight intimmidations and robbing the farmers. Please listen to this man’s interviews ample facts with names and places.
Money of any bulk by coffee farmers means, showing hyenas where the meat is!! From there on death and displacemnts of these farmers would escalate to extict these poor families.
Black gold=coffee has increased the misery of many farmers due to regimes continued illigal lootings, to a point where many farmers cut down their coffee plants and replaced with narcotic drug called “khat” out of disppointments.
Elias has full right to express his side of freedom so as many of us who know the misery of coffee farmers.
Comment by Gomen batenna — December 21, 2006 @ 9:22 am
I think ethio-review readers must be either very stupid or they are just day dreaming…
elias would want u to believe adiss is going back…or the gov days are numbered…or EPPF is controlling gondar and gojam…
well, adiss is growing very fast(seen the latest goterra project??)…the gov is stronger than ever..EPPF??? ha ha!…i guess yaal should be hopless dreamers!
To all the EPRDF..or WEYANE HATERS….somalia jehadist aint gonna free kaaliti leaders, nor does the starbucks.
Comment by haile — December 21, 2006 @ 9:57 am
The man managing the The ER must be either an eritrean who has lost his entire family during the Ethio-eritrean war or the most ever stupid, moron ethiopian.
How can he oppose this golden cause of the country.
Comment by dehai — December 21, 2006 @ 12:03 pm
I am surprised on how the farmer gets the money from the sell of coffy? or You Oxfam want to pay your share of war effert by the woyanes?
Comment by Wodaje — December 21, 2006 @ 1:39 pm
I wonder if ER is an Ethiopian or related to Ethiopia. How on earth can some one who claims to be an Ethiopian, stand against the Ethiopian farmers? These are the farmers, I repeat, these are the farmers who payed the tax to educate the people like ER. By any standards, these farmers donot deserve such acts in return for a simple political reason. Please, people like ER come to your senses. Politics has nothing to do with the property rights of the poor Ethiopian farmers. This is not the way to do politics.
The advocacy of ER against the rights of the Ethiopian farmers do show us where ER and co. stand when it comes to the rights of the Ethiopian people.
My country men, let’s join the remarkable oxfam effort to secure the property rights of teh ETHIOPIAN poor.
OXFAM thank you so much. I am proud of you for the job weldone.
Comment by belete — December 21, 2006 @ 9:15 pm
I am just laughing on the gample OXFAM is playing using the Ethiopian Farmers. Meles must have pressed them hard on “Ethiopian coffees” so that OXFAM people can survive in Ethiopia.
Anyways, The Farmers will never get a penny out of these mess because It is too political. Meles is after few millions of dollars for his own pocket - Simple and Logic.
Comment by Concerned Citizen — December 21, 2006 @ 10:23 pm
Heres a trademark question though not related to Ethiopia. Is “Fair Trade” trademarked? I ask because I went to a Starbucks in Dublin today and their Now Brewing boards said
Cafe Estima TM Fair Trade TM
Comment by Declan — December 22, 2006 @ 4:29 pm
It is prudent upon every Ethiopian to join the remarkable oxfam effort to secure the property rights of the ETHIOPIAN poor. I am actually surprised that the GREEN LA girl would pick up and talk about the always trash statement of ER. That guy is a sellout who do not have any soul. Somebody who uses his Ferenj wife’s access to attack everything Ethiopian-remember he was begging for money to advertise on Washington Post against the Ethiopian Gov’t. He is just as brutal as Mengistu.
Comment by Lageb A — December 22, 2006 @ 5:26 pm
it is sad to see that Ethio-Natives such as ER Team is getting on the way of our poor farmenrs’ right over their product, while forieghners (Oxfam) are fighting for the poor farmers. The motive behind the ER team arguements is only political desire to weaken the gov’t. However, their effort will be fruitless as we true Ethiopians will educate our farmers WHO STANDS FOR THEIR RIGHT. The extreme diaspora action will back fire on their faces on the next election. Your negetive attitudes toward the poor people of Ethiopia is revieling by the day. And the Government is surely growing stronger as a result of your miscalculated actions. Our farmers will get it their way one way or another. Ethiopia, and EPRDF will prevail.
Comment by yoni — December 22, 2006 @ 7:44 pm
Hey guys,
This isn’t all about shear politics. This is a call to stand for our autonomic names for the benefit of our coffee farmers.
ER has been against its own esteem for so long. It is a waste of time and energy to respond to the editor.The guy is infamous for his notorious lies and twists.
I’ve seen a lot of complaints against the editor in many websites and I sometimes feel that the guy has been getting more momentum from everything said and written against its articles.
Unlike some of you, I’d have been surprised if I read some opositive developments about eth.on that website. For instance, the website had posted a call to oppose any help for eth. from donors with the delusion that it paralyses the gov’t.How can one shut the mouth of millions of aid -dependent ethiopians for self political gain?
Ethiopian review has an “anti” prefix invisible to its readers.
Comment by binamir — December 23, 2006 @ 2:36 am
ER can publish whatever lies they want. in response to ER’s action, I just made 10,000 copies of the article from Oxfam, this website and the original article from ER. Guess where it is going? Ofcourse to our poor farmers. got full support of the government in doing so. they need to know who is behind their cause. our poor farmers have the right to know who is their friend and enemy.
Comment by yoni — December 23, 2006 @ 10:42 pm
Hamma — I think your comment’s right on. Talk about a far reach. No one here disagrees that the current Ethiopian govt.’s corrupt — but not everyone’s bothered to see how that may or may not affect this trademark issue.
Lageb A — I hear you with your concern that writing about ER’s arguments might only bolster ER. That said, I have to say ER has a lot of readers — and just on that perspective, I feel it’s important to let others know that there are other perspectives out there. Sometimes, ignoring arguments that are — ok, outlandish — but widely reported only leads less-informed people into thinking they are true.
Declan — The trademarks depend on the country. In the US, the phrase “fair trade certified” is trademarked by the nonprofit TFUSA. In the UK, I believe the Fair Trade Federation has trademarked “Fairtrade.” I’m less sure about what trademarks have been approved by other countries.
Comment by Siel — December 24, 2006 @ 4:46 pm
First of all,this is not an issue of the going of the money to the pockets of the corrupt or not,rather it is an issue of being an ethiopian and loving the farmers who led as to where we are now.If I were you,I would not be talking about what ER wrote, for that matter I don’t even want to write about selfish morons who doesn’t care for a single Ethiopian beside themselves.I will keep on fighting and then we will see where the money is going……but no matter what the poletics is it is worth fighting for the poor Ethiopian farmers…my farmers.
Comment by danaddis — December 28, 2006 @ 4:29 am
(sorry it’s so long, i just have lots to say)
there seems to be so much misinformation from all parties out there, including from oxfam.
i am as frustrated as siel was (?is?)about not being able to get enough information from either side.
while i work for SB, i have a head to think & reason with - so don’t think i haven’t done as much due diligence as all sides have allowed me…so here are some additional thoughts:
-i don’t believe starbucks, or any corporation has the right to dictate governmental laws in any country - but especially not in ones across the globe.
-i don’t believe that starbucks stood in the way of the trademarking. they have not filed any oppositions to the trademarking.
there’s no evidence or even an overheard story of how they ‘used their might’ to make the offices say no - i’d even accept someone who read a memo, heard it in the washroom, had a vision or dream about it - but there’s nothing anywhere to support that.
-i don’t believe that oxfam has any idea of how much money the farmers are potentially losing from the lack of trademarking and don’t understand where they pull their numbers from - there has been no explanation of monetary breakdowns to support their claims or even to show how it could be generated. it seems it may just be a number they came up with.
-the bubbly wines from france, and blue coffees from jamica have all been geographically certified, not trademarked and have been able to benefit financially - so without understanding fully what trademarking would do - it would make sense to do the geographical stamps first.
i don’t believe that only one classification can exist, so if the stamping doesn’t work they can always trademark later.
and finally - since one coffee has already been trademarked, i think the best answer to all of this ismuddled confusion may be to wait and see what happens with the farmers and bean prices from yergacheffe.
see if it does any good and makes them more money.
there are two growing seasons a year, so we could potentially see the results within 6 months.
on an end note: i like this company that i work for. i am informed and take the time to look into things. i’d recommend it for some of the people here - hating starbucks is fine. but be informed of what and why you’re hating.
the buying practices established over the last 35 years have helped to improve people’s lives, farmer’s lives.
i know about the lack of transparency clauses.
i also know about a lot of the work outside of buying beans that starbucks does in countries of origin. there are many hospitals and schools that wouldn’t be out there today without starbucks.
i also know that starbucks has set the stage for greatness to come. it holds the industry accountable, and is making it possible for people everywhere to get non-starbucks gourmet coffees, simply by being itself.
Comment by silver — December 30, 2006 @ 6:42 pm