I ran across this Starbucks knockoff in Santiago, Chile - not only is the sign's font and color virtually the same, but the fern-bar-with- coffee decor is a dead-ringer for the dreaded 'Bucks as well. (Come to think of it, the entire neighborhood of Las Condes looks like it could have been transplanted from suburban Virginia or Dallas or Sacramento.) Situated not far from the U.S. embassy, apparently the continued non-ceasing and non-desisting of this place occasionally causes a bit of a stink in discussions of IP in Chile. A "real" Starbucks just opened down the street, so perhaps the sparks of litigation will soon fly. Both places are going to have a tough time competing with Santiago's somewhat notorious "cafes con piernas," which translates to "cafes with legs," but might better be described as "caffeinated Hooters." These places, and this country, are not known for great coffee.

posted by Xeni Jardin at 03:02:30 PM permalink | Other blogs commenting on this post