[image from abc. For those new to the Ethiopia coffee trademark issue, start here]

After 8 months or so of bad press, Starbucks Coffee negotiated with the Ethiopian government and the two have now “concluded an agreement regarding distribution, marketing and licensing that recognizes the importance and integrity of Ethiopia’s specialty coffee designations.”

This basically brings the trademark dispute over Ethiopian coffee names to a close. The agreement, according to the press release, “provides a framework for mutual cooperation to promote the recognition of the Harrar, Sidamo and Yirgacheffe designations and to strengthen the Ethiopian coffee sector, and includes the license of certain trademarks.”

This trademark issue was a bit of a PR nightmare for Starbucks, which went from strongly opposing the trademarks by putting out false, misleading YouTube videos and press releases, to treading what it called a neutral ground, to finally hacking out a more equitable deal with the Ethiopian government.

Oxfam’s put out a celebratory YouTube video to declare victory —

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