Coming soon to Phoenix – Black Cat Coffee. I wonder if they’ll be serving Intelligentsia’s espresso blend by the same name?

Black Cat Coffee
4730 E. Indian School Rd.
Phoenix, AZ 85018
Phone: (602) 553-2228
Twitter: @blackcatcoffee

Arizona Coffee

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22 comments

  1. Denny

    That was my first thought. We’ll see soon!

  2. I wonder if they’ll be served a cease and desist letter from Intelli…

    -2
  3. Steve

    Maybe some-one should give them a heads up????

  4. Hi,

    I’m Don, and along with my wife Tima, we will be opening the Black Cat Coffee House.

    I appreciate your comments, and I want to respond to them as best as I can. At the time we named and started our business, we were unaware of the Black Cat name associated with Intelligentsia (not that it would make a difference). And, it has never been our intent to infringe upon their trademark and/or name.

    Also, it is interesting that there are several “Black Cat” entities around that conduct business in a manner “similar” to how we plan to conduct ours (that do not appear to serve Intelligentsia products). Please reference the links below for a few of them.

    http://www.blackcatcoffeehouse.com

    http://www.theblackcatcafe.com

    http://www.blackcatchef.com

  5. I should offer a response to my own comment. When I previously indicated the following: “not that it would make a difference”, I did not mean that we would use the name regardless of the trademark. I meant that being unaware of the trademark may not be a good excuse for using the name. Thanks.

  6. Steve

    Either way Don…..I wish you the very best and mucho success on your shop!!!

    Steve
    Press Coffee Roasters

  7. Desert Cat

    Trademark infringement aside, it is not ethical to take a concept/ name from someone else and use it without their consent, which is what is being done in this case.

  8. Thanks, Steve. We certainly appreciate you support.

  9. Thanks, Steve. We certainly appreciate your support.

  10. It’s a unique looking logo which may differentiate it enough. I see nothing unethical about it at all and wish you the best with your new shop. Good luck!

  11. Brian

    Don, I think it’s great that your venture getting so many people’s panties in a bundle. At this point, any news is good news. This will certainly give you a big boost at opening. Get ready! We’ll be there.

  12. Thanks Brian. We’re getting ready, and we’ll be looking for you.

  13. Kristina

    I don’t think it is unethical at all to use the name Black Cat. It is in common usage in many ways and I don’t believe 2 words together can be copyrighted.

  14. Ed

    Now open!

  15. Kim

    Hello,
    I’ve tried to call, and the message states that you aren’t open yet!

  16. First, kudos to small business owners, Don and his wife! Second, Black Cat is trademarked (per USPTO) for coffee as a beverage, not as a coffee house / QSR. Furthermore, the Black Cat logo by Intelligentsia is completely different than the Black Cat Coffee House graphic/logo. I would advise Don to spend the money (about $350) to get “Black Cat” trademarked as a coffee QSR…just in case. Anyway, so happy Black Cat Coffee House has opened and will be there tomorrow morning!

  17. Sorry about that, Kim. I forgot to change the message. But, I updated it (yesterday, I think). So, it should be okay now.

  18. Tony

    You cannot copyright or trade mark ordinary words, names, and phrases. You can copyright graphics, including word art graphics. Therefore, unless they use someone else’s graphics or someone else has registered the exact same business name in their state, they are good to go. For example, if your name is McDonald, you can open a restaurant named McDonald’s legally. However, if you try to use the Golden Arches in your logo or copy any of their “look and feel”, you are going to hear from them. “Black Cat” is hardly a proprietary or uniquely creative name. Love your graphic. Good Luck!