Brooklyn Cafe: Starbucks Stole Our 'Unicorn' Idea

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) — Who really came up with Starbuck's "Unicorn" drink? It was sweet, it was colorful, and now one Brooklyn cafe claims it was a stolen idea.

Williamsburg cafe The End is accusing Starbucks of "overshadowing" its health-conscious drink with the sugary Unicorn Frappuccino in a $10 million trademark infringement lawsuit.

The End started selling its Unicorn Latte in December and has had a trademark on the drink name pending since January, reports CBS2's Chris Wragge.

Starbucks launched the Unicorn Frappuccino in April as a limited-run item, and it enjoyed considerable media attention. While The End's version is sold as a healthy treat, the Starbucks beverage drew the ire of the Connecticut Health Department that the Unicorn Frap contains more than double the suggested sugar intake by the American Heart Association.

Both drinks are similar in that neither contains coffee, though they are on the opposite spectrum of healthy consumption. The End says the Unicorn Latte is made from ingredients like dates, ginger root and algae. The lawsuit says Starbucks' drink is made from milk and artificial sweeteners.

A spokesperson for Starbucks says the lawsuit is without merit.

(© Copyright 2017 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)