International aid agency Oxfam said Wednesday that Starbucks Coffee Company continues to ignore calls from Ethiopian coffee farmers and exporters to sign a royalty-free licensing agreement that would allow farmers to control its most famous coffee trademarks.

Oxfam said the Seattle-based company "has balked at signing a voluntary licensing agreement and has refused to engage in good-faith discussions with Ethiopia about the trademarking initiative."

Ethiopia's fine coffee names trademark initiative to trademark its famous coffee names such as Sidamo, Harar and , has received international recognition as a novel approach to bring added benefits to millions of poor farmers and help alleviate poverty.

Ethiopian farmers are trying to win trademarks for its Sidamo, Yirgacheffe and Harar coffees in the United States, but say the coffee giant was stonewalling its bid.

Last month, Starbucks issued a joint release with the government of Ethiopia stating the company would no longer stand in the African country's way to obtain trademarks.

Last week, however, leaders of Ethiopia's coffee farmers cooperatives and associations called on Starbucks to stop delaying negotiations and taking "deliberate actions to divert attention" from the trademark issue.

"When Starbucks announced that it will not block Ethiopia's initiative and also increase its volume of purchase of Ethiopian coffee, we all welcomed it believing that it is a good first step and would open the door for negotiations with the company," Hailu Gebre Hiwot, chairman of The Ethiopian Coffee Exporters Association, said in a statement March 13. "But we have yet to see any efforts made by Starbucks to come to the table and discuss technical issues on the royalty free licensing agreement Ethiopia is asking it to sign."

A Starbucks representative called Sustainable Food News Wednesday to say a comment on the issue would be forthcoming but nothing had been received by Thursday morning.

"Starbucks continues to break its promises to the poorest communities," said Seth Petchers, coffee lead in Oxfam International's Make Trade Fair campaign. "The company has branded itself as a friend to poor farmers. But when these farmers seek the right to own their coffee brands and compete in the global market on an even playing field, Starbucks refuses to support them."

"If Starbucks is seriously committed to humanity, it needs to change its position and agree to negotiate a licensing agreement with Ethiopia that respects its ownership of its unique coffee trademarks," said Petchers. "Starbucks has retailed these Ethiopian coffees for as much as $26 a pound yet most Ethiopian coffee farmers struggle to survive on one dollar a day." Coffee giant attacked for not living up to its socially responsible image

by Sustainable Food News March 21, 2007  International aid agency Oxfam said Wednesday that Starbucks Coffee Company continues to ignore calls from Ethiopian coffee farmers and exporters to sign a royalty-free licensing agreement that would allow farmers to control its most famous coffee trademarks.

Oxfam said the Seattle-based company "has balked at signing a voluntary licensing agreement and has refused to engage in good-faith discussions with Ethiopia about the trademarking initiative."

Ethiopia's fine coffee names trademark initiative to trademark its famous coffee names such as Sidamo, Harar and , has received international recognition as a novel approach to bring added benefits to millions of poor farmers and help alleviate poverty.

Ethiopian farmers are trying to win trademarks for its Sidamo, Yirgacheffe and Harar coffees in the United States, but say the coffee giant was stonewalling its bid.

Last month, Starbucks issued a joint release with the government of Ethiopia stating the company would no longer stand in the African country's way to obtain trademarks.

Last week, however, leaders of Ethiopia's coffee farmers cooperatives and associations called on Starbucks to stop delaying negotiations and taking "deliberate actions to divert attention" from the trademark issue.

"When Starbucks announced that it will not block Ethiopia's initiative and also increase its volume of purchase of Ethiopian coffee, we all welcomed it believing that it is a good first step and would open the door for negotiations with the company," Hailu Gebre Hiwot, chairman of The Ethiopian Coffee Exporters Association, said in a statement March 13. "But we have yet to see any efforts made by Starbucks to come to the table and discuss technical issues on the royalty free licensing agreement Ethiopia is asking it to sign."

A Starbucks representative called Sustainable Food News Wednesday to say a comment on the issue would be forthcoming but nothing had been received by Thursday morning.

"Starbucks continues to break its promises to the poorest communities," said Seth Petchers, coffee lead in Oxfam International's Make Trade Fair campaign. "The company has branded itself as a friend to poor farmers. But when these farmers seek the right to own their coffee brands and compete in the global market on an even playing field, Starbucks refuses to support them."

"If Starbucks is seriously committed to humanity, it needs to change its position and agree to negotiate a licensing agreement with Ethiopia that respects its ownership of its unique coffee trademarks," said Petchers. "Starbucks has retailed these Ethiopian coffees for as much as $26 a pound yet most Ethiopian coffee farmers struggle to survive on one dollar a day."