"lawyers" news and stories

Starbucks has a canned espresso drink called the DoubleShot, which is a sweetened blend of cream and espresso. There is also a coffee shop and roastery in Tulsa, Oklahoma called the DoubleShot Coffee Company. Starbucks is suing the midwestern coffee company for trademark violations over the use of the name "doubleshot."

According to the blog Whiskey Wednesday, which has spoken with the owner of the DoubleShot Coffee Co., Starbucks trademarked the term back in 2001, around the time of the release of their canned beverage. Their lawyers have advised the roastery to desist from using the name, but the owner of the Tulsa-based shop stands firm behind his use of the term, explaining "Doubleshot is a generic industry term for two shots of espresso. They have no exclusive rights to it." If the case goes forward, a judge will end up deciding who, if anyone, has the rights to the term.

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It's that time of year, the time to look back on the stories that made 2005 great. Our countdown began with God

There are more than a few people out there who continue to give lawyers a bad name. Some of them are the lawyers who take on what many people deem to be frivolous lawsuits. Sometimes it is the lawyers who take it upon themselves to speak up for people and protest what they perceive is a legal violation or some sort. These may not be all the legal battles caused by food this year, but they certainly were noteworthy ones, whether they deserved to be or not.

1. Silver dragées. This lawsuit isn’t new to 2005, but it is ongoing nevertheless. A California lawyer had essentially managed, much to the chagrin of bakers in the state, to block the sale of little, silver cake decorating balls in the state in a suit against candy makers and bakers. He cites health risks despite the fact that there has never been a documented case of poisoning from silver dragée consumption.

2. Bottled Fly Trauma. In , a hairstylist and his wife were awarded more than $300,000 after finding a fly in a bottle of water. Neither the man nor his wife consumed any water and, in fact, the bottle was unopened. The couple mentioned that they were “plagued by nightmares [and lost] of their sense of humour” as a result of the incident.