Copy Or Parody? How Pakistan’s 'Sattar Buksh' Defeated Starbucks In Trademark Battle
Global coffeehouse chain Starbucks has reportedly lost a trademark battle against Karachi-based café Sattar Buksh, a quirky local brand often seen as its cheeky twin.
The dispute began when Starbucks, which had no outlets in Pakistan at the time, filed a complaint claiming that Sattar Buksh’s name and logo closely resembled its own and could confuse customers.
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What do you think? Was it a COPY or PARODY? 🤔
Starbucks sued Sattar Buksh for copying their name and logo but Sattar Buksh won! Why? Because it wasn’t a copy, it was a parody. pic.twitter.com/hCBe8sR4Uj
— Muhammad Hassan Baber (@hassandesignn) July 12, 2025
The Pakistani café, founded in 2013 by Rizwan Ahmad and Adnan Yousuf, defended itself by highlighting cultural roots and satire behind its brand identity.
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Unlike Starbucks’ iconic mermaid, Sattar Buksh’s logo features a moustached man surrounded by green hues, wavy patterns, and tea cups. The founders also argued that “Sattar Buksh” has a long cultural history in South Asia, citing its mention in a 500-year-old Arabic text. Over the years, the café tweaked its design further and even added disclaimers clarifying no connection with Starbucks.
Beyond branding, Sattar Buksh carved its own identity through a bold, eclectic menu — serving burgers, pizzas, shisha, and even humour-laced dishes like the “Besharam Burger” and a half-veg, half-non-veg pizza named “LOC” after the India-Pakistan border.
Starbucks sued a Pakistani guy for opening a cafe called Sattar Buksh and mimicking their logo, but lost the case because his name is actually “Sattar Buksh” and used his face on the logo🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 pic.twitter.com/pEU89dCcwG
— جيداء (@nobsyesbs) May 31, 2019
The court sided with the Pakistani café, ruling that it had established a distinct character despite surface-level similarities. The verdict is now being celebrated across social media as a symbolic victory of local entrepreneurship over multinational dominance.
