Karachi’s quirky café SattarBuksh has scored a major legal victory over Starbucks, fending off a trademark lawsuit that sought to shut it down.
The dispute began back in 2013 when Starbucks accused the café of copying its name and branding. But SattarBuksh’s owners successfully argued that their name was a clever nod to Pakistani culture — blending “Sattar,” a common local name, with “buksh,” meaning servant or giver in Urdu.
To further distance itself from the Seattle coffee chain, the café made slight tweaks to its logo and visual identity, which helped strengthen its case. The court ultimately sided with SattarBuksh, allowing the café to keep its name and continue serving customers.
This outcome is being hailed as a victory for cultural expression and linguistic creativity, showing how local businesses can stand their ground against global corporations by leaning on heritage and originality.