On March 30, 1971, three friends — Jerry Baldwin, Zev Siegl and Gordon Bowker — opened a shop in Seattle's Pike Place Market that sold roasted coffee beans and not much else. They named it after Starbuck, the first mate of the whaling ship in Herman Melville's Moby-Dick, a nod to the seafaring history of Seattle and of the coffee trade. The ship's own name, Pequod, had been suggested and turned down.
That's the familiar part. The trademark record adds something less familiar: the first logo registration wasn't filed by "Starbucks" at all.
The Record
| Reg. No. | Mark | Filed / registered | Class | Owners on record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,098,925 | STARBUCKS COFFEE-TEA-SPICES (logo with words) | July 14, 1976 / Aug. 8, 1978 | 30 (coffee, tea, spices) | Starbuck's Coffee Company → Starbucks U.S. Brands Corporation → Starbucks U.S. Brands, LLC → Starbucks Corporation |
| 1,372,630 | STARBUCKS | June 3, 1985 / Nov. 26, 1985 | 21 (housewares) | Starbucks Coffee Company → Starbucks Corporation → Starbucks U.S. Brands, LLC |
Both were registered and renewed in the USPTO's records at the end of September 2026. The original applicant on the 1976 logo filing is recorded as "Starbuck's Coffee Company" — with an apostrophe. Companies in the Starbucks group were the current owners of about 155 live U.S. registrations at that point.
A Name You Can Buy
Howard Schultz didn't found Starbucks. According to the company's own history, he left in 1985 to start his own coffee bar business, Il Giornale. In March 1987 the founders were willing to sell the Starbucks name, the roasting plant and six Seattle stores; by that August Schultz had raised the $3.8 million he needed, and Il Giornale acquired the Starbucks assets and took the Starbucks name.
That deal is visible in the trademark record: the 1970s registrations didn't stay with the founders' company. They moved, owner by owner, to the business that bought the name. Starbucks Corporation describes itself today as "formed in 1985" — and at the end of its 2025 fiscal year it counted 40,990 company-operated and licensed stores.
Why the Name Works as a Trademark
A character from a 19th-century novel says nothing about coffee. That makes "Starbucks" an arbitrary mark for coffee shops: strong from the start, because no competitor needs the word to describe what it sells. The 1985 filing for the plain word, separate from the logo, protects the name in any typeface or design — which is what lets the company change its logo without putting the name at risk.
What This Record Teaches
- When you buy a business for its name, make sure the trademarks come with it. The Starbucks registrations followed the business when it was sold. In an asset purchase, the trademark registrations — and the goodwill they stand for — have to be part of the deal and recorded with the USPTO.
- Register the word separately from the logo. The original registration was a logo with words. The plain-word registration came later, in 1985. A word mark is the one that survives a redesign.
- A redesigned logo is a new mark. A registration protects the design as it was filed; a substantially new logo generally needs its own application.
- Old records outlive company names. The 1976 applicant was "Starbuck's Coffee Company." When you search the register for conflicts, search variations — apostrophes, old names, predecessor companies — not just today's brand.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is Starbucks named after Moby-Dick?
The founders named the shop after Starbuck, the first mate in Moby-Dick, to reflect the seafaring history of Seattle and the coffee trade. The name of the ship, Pequod, was considered and rejected.
Did Howard Schultz found Starbucks?
No. Starbucks opened in 1971 under Jerry Baldwin, Zev Siegl and Gordon Bowker. Schultz's company, Il Giornale, acquired the Starbucks name, roasting plant and stores in 1987, raising $3.8 million for the purchase according to Starbucks.
When was the Starbucks logo first registered?
The original logo, with the words "Starbucks Coffee-Tea-Spices," was filed on July 14, 1976 and registered on August 8, 1978 as U.S. Registration No. 1,098,925.