Starbucks

Starbucks Corporation, commonly known as Starbucks, is an American multinational chain of coffeehouses and roastery reserves headquartered in Seattle, Washington. Founded in 1971, the company is publicly traded on NASDAQ under the ticker symbol SBUX. As of 2025/2026, Starbucks employs approximately 381,000 people. The company reported a trailing 12-month revenue of $38.47 billion as of March 31, 2026, with a market capitalization of $116 billion as of May 26, 2026.

Starbucks operates as the world's largest coffeehouse chain, with nearly 41,000 cafes in over 80 countries. Its core business involves retailing specialty coffee, offering a diverse menu that includes hot and cold coffee beverages, espresso drinks, teas, smoothies, and Frappuccino blended beverages. Beyond beverages, Starbucks sells baked goods, sandwiches, and other food items. The company also extends its brand through packaged coffee products for at-home consumption, including whole bean and ground coffee, instant coffee, and single-serve pods, as well as ready-to-drink beverages sold through various channel development partnerships.

In terms of patent litigation, Starbucks demonstrates the posture of an operating company that primarily defends against intellectual property challenges. The available data indicates Starbucks has been a defendant in one tracked case and has not appeared as a plaintiff in any patent suits. This suggests the company is typically a target of patent assertions rather than an entity actively enforcing its own patent portfolio through litigation.

The sole tracked case involving Starbucks is Sampo IP LLC v. Starbucks, where Starbucks is listed as a defendant.