Lawsuit brews as Starbucks takes aim at China chain

Reuters

SHANGHAI, Feb 5 (Reuters) - Starbucks (nasdaq: SBUX - news - people) is suing a rival Shanghai chain whose name in Chinese is virtually identical to that of the U.S. giant that introduced coffee culture to a nation of tea lovers.

Starbucks Corp is taking aim at Shanghai Xing Ba Ke Coffee Shop Co, whose Mandarin name is written and pronounced the same as that chosen by the U.S. chain when it first set up operations in China -- the focus of an aggressive international expansion.

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