What This Ruling Changes

• Starbucks failed to persuade a federal judge that the union’s trademark case should be thrown out before the merits are decided.
• Workers United is asking for a ruling that “Starbucks Workers United” and its raised-fist logo do not unlawfully infringe Starbucks’ trademarks.
• The ruling doesnot mean the union has won the trademark fight—it means Starbucks must continue defending the case.

By Samuel López | USA Herald

Starbucks tried to end a trademark lawsuit brought by the union representing thousands of its workers before the case could get much further. A federal judge said no.

U.S. District Judge Michael Baylson on Friday denied Starbucks’ effort to dismiss a lawsuit filed by Workers United in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. The union wants the court to declare that its use of the name “Starbucks Workers United” and its worker-themed logo does not infringe Starbucks’ intellectual-property rights.

That distinction matters.

This was not a ruling that Workers United’s logo is legal, nor did the judge find Starbucks’ trademarks invalid. Starbucks argued that there was no live legal controversy when Workers United filed the case in April because the parties had reached a 2024 memorandum of understanding as they attempted to resolve their disputes. Baylson rejected that argument at this early stage, allowing the union’s declaratory-judgment case to continue.

A declaratory judgment essentially lets a party go to court and ask, “Tell us where we legally stand,” rather than waiting for the other side to sue again.

Workers United says Starbucks has claimed that the union’s name and logo infringe the company’s trademarks. The union’s logo depicts a worker clutching a cup with a raised fist—a labor-solidarity symbol—while the organization argues that the words “Workers United” make clear that it represents employees rather than the Starbucks corporation itself. Those are the union’s allegations and defenses, not findings by the court.

Starbucks has taken the opposite position. In its original litigation, the company alleged that the union’s use of the Starbucks name and branding could mislead consumers into believing the organization or its statements were connected to, authorized by or attributable to Starbucks.

The fight dates to October 2023, when Starbucks sued over the union’s branding in Iowa. Workers United filed its own declaratory-judgment action that same day.

Then came what looked like a possible truce.

In February 2024, Starbucks and Workers United publicly announced plans to negotiate a broader framework covering collective bargaining, organizing and the resolution of outstanding litigation—including the dispute over use of the Starbucks brand.

Both sides eventually dismissed their earlier trademark cases without prejudice in January 2025, meaning they remained free to revive their claims.

That is exactly what happened.

Workers United filed the current Pennsylvania action on April 3, 2026. Starbucks followed by filing a new trademark case in the Southern District of Iowa on June 18.

The result is an unusual legal standoff in which Starbucks is pursuing infringement claims while Workers United is independently asking another federal court to declare that its branding does not infringe.

The central question ultimately goes much deeper than whether two logos look alike. Trademark law generally focuses heavily on whether consumers are likely to be confused about the source, sponsorship or affiliation of the parties involved.

For Starbucks and its unionized workers, that means the courtroom fight may eventually turn on a practical question ordinary customers can understand immediately:

When someone sees “Starbucks Workers United,” do they think they are hearing from Starbucks—or from Starbucks employees fighting with Starbucks?

Friday’s ruling guarantees that, for now, Workers United gets to keep asking that question in federal court.

The case is Workers United v. Starbucks Corporation, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, No. 2:26-cv-02202.

About the Author

Samuel López is a reporter and news correspondent for USA Herald and a seasoned legal professional with more than two decades of experience analyzing state and federal litigation, complex civil disputes and legal procedure. His background reviewing pleadings, motions and court rulings informs his coverage of intellectual-property litigation, corporate disputes and cases where the procedural posture can be just as important as the headline.

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