Starbucks Corp

Starbucks Corporation

Starbucks Corporation is a publicly traded (NASDAQ: SBUX) multinational chain of coffeehouses and roastery reserves headquartered in Seattle, Washington. Founded in 1971 in Seattle's Pike Place Market, the company has grown into one of the world's most recognizable brands. For its 2025 fiscal year, the company reported revenue of approximately $37.2 billion and employed around 381,000 people globally.

As the world's largest coffeehouse chain, Starbucks' primary business is the sale of beverages, including coffee, tea, smoothies, and other handcrafted drinks. The company also sells a variety of food items such as pastries, sandwiches, and snacks. Beyond its retail stores, Starbucks' operations are divided into three main segments: North America, International, and Channel Development. The Channel Development segment sells packaged coffee, tea, and ready-to-drink beverages to customers through grocery and convenience stores.

Starbucks' patent litigation profile is that of an operating company defending its technology against assertions by a non-practicing entity (NPE). The authoritative case data shows the company as a defendant in two tracked cases and a plaintiff in none. This defensive posture is typical for a large corporation implementing customer-facing technology.

Both of the company's tracked cases are appeals in litigation brought by Monticello Enterprises LLC, a patent assertion entity. The lawsuits originally filed in the Western District of Texas alleged that Starbucks' mobile application and in-app payment systems infringed on patents related to wireless point-of-sale and mobile payment technology. These cases are part of a broader campaign by Monticello, which has also asserted the same patents against other major retailers like Petco and Macy's.