There is an assumption out there that China’s legal deck is completely stacked against Western companies.  China bad.  South Korea good.  Starbucks just proved it is not that simple. I have handled at least 100 legal matters in Korea an…

There is an assumption out there that China’s legal deck is completely stacked against Western companies. China bad. South Korea good. Starbucks just proved it is not that simple. I have handled at least 100 legal matters in Korea and

I had the same problem with the local Tully’s out here, and mentioned to them that the taste of their cappuchino has very little to do with coffee. They told me that for 50 yen, they would add another shot of expresso. I had them do that the next time I ordered their medium cappuchino and that seemed to do the trick for me.

JP

I seldom drink coffee anymore, but recently went to a Tully’s near my house and ordered a cappuchino, which I used to like years ago. Much too much milk and foam, at least compared to those I used to drink in shops in the US (pre Starbucks). The overwhelming majority of the customers in these places in Japan, anyway, is women, and I think the product is made with that clientele in mind.

As for Dunkin Donuts, the ones I’ve been to here in Japan have terrible donuts! And at least the customers at the upscale coffee shops in Japan are adult women. The customers at Dunkin Donuts have a high percentage of high school girls.

Also I don’t even like Starbucks coffee. My favorite coffee is Dunkin Donuts coffee that costs half the price of a Starbucks coffee and there many more Dunkin Donuts in Korea to go to than Starbucks.

And yes, I support Starbucks in suing the PRC. Although, that’s the one and only thing I support them in, despite the fact that they haven’t really pissed me off (and I’m actually more like totally ambivalent about them.)

From the sounds of it, there seems to be a lot of rivalry between asian countries. From your point of view, you are fed up by chinese ripping off korean intellectual properties.

When I was growing up, my grandparents always told me Asian products were shoddy – because they were copied by western inventions. I know this isn’t true – if any thing technolgy has become better due to asian intellectual intervention. Another thing too, nearly all electronics are made in asia now.

I know where your opinion is coming from. No worries. But I have always known this my self and I am not surprised at all. The fact of the matter is the chinese are always going to be unoriginal and copy anything, they have done it ever since i can remember.

In Australia nearly everything is made in China – and there are no shortage of rip-off products of the real thing. It wasn’t long ago where a US aircraft was found in China, so they took it apart and copied it from circuit to circuit along with it’s structure and engines.

Sure the chinese are meticulous product copy cats. But the chinese are communist too, they make cheaper alternative for their peoples – that is the communist way. Which in the other hand being communist, modern day China is so technologial, and that’s because it so cheap. Which comes to my next point, I can’t believe how materialistic asia is now. it is all about, things… gadgets and toys and stuff that is cool – everything we don’t need.

I don’t know about you, but I didn’t grow up in wealthy family. I have always had to work for everying that I own. In the end though, I do think Starbucks still sucks . You could always make your own concept up for a coffee shop, it would be so easy to do – with money. But I think that total and utter monoplization of a market is by far worst than a few small time (compared to Starbucks) trying to make a buck or few. And when it comes down to it, you could almost say that you support Starbucks for sueing the chinese, although Starbucks sucks? I think we both went on a tangent their.

When I lived in Seattle, the locals referred to it as Charbucks. The burnt taste has definitely made its way to Japan. Now that’s quality control!

So far as tasting like urine, anyone knows there are no reputable places in Tokyo that serve urine for less than 10,000 yen a shot.

There was recently a case in the US of a woman who is being sued for touching someone in a cinema because they wouldn’t shut up on there mobile phone, that is ridiculous. No one likes it when people talk when you are trying to watch a movie.

I think Starbucks have a pathetic case of sueing smaller coffee shops for closely resembling their logo. This is just another step of completely monopolysing the coffee shop market. An example, there is about 5 Starbucks at one mall I know of, they all used to be coffee houses.

I personally don’t drink coffee from any franchised based shops. Because I know that it is a complete rip off. The mark up of coffee is herendous. Caffiene is drug, and when it comes down to it, coffee shops are very practically shrewed drug dealers. Everyone knows at least one coffee addict that has in excess 4 cups a day, they may cost upwards of $2-3US. Now if you knew how much companies like Starbucks, Gloria Jeans and Zarraffas buy raw coffee beans from farmers in Africa and Brazil, you would be deeply appaled. They pay about a few cents per kilo of raw coffee beans. Now how much was a cup of coffee again? Are you a coffee addict? Now do the maths, and make your own decision.