"It kind of breaks my brain to think of how copyright applies inside a Starbucks."

It's quite simple: Can I build a car that looks exactly like a VW beetle and sell it? Floorplans are as copywritable as any other designs. Houses, office buildings, etc can all be protected.

Starbucks is a company. Their stores are private property. They have every right in the world to make any policy they want, as long as it doesn't violate any laws, which this one doesn't. If you don't like it, then feel free to protest, but it is my opinion that breaking the policy as a form of protest is quite simply a bad idea on all fronts. First it says "It's OK to break rules you don't agree with", which is NOT OK. Second it will cause more Starbucks to enforce the rule than ever before. Instead of taking the civil method of lobbying the people who actually make the rules, this form of protest is simply an excuse to break the rule, not a serious effort to effect change. One message board member said it best, this is an effort to hurt Starbucks, not change the policy. As the vocal minority living in a democracy, you have the right to protest but to strongarm the majority through subversive tactics is to set a bad example.

Again, I challenge you protesters to tell me where you work. If you think this form of protest is "valid" and "a good idea", then let me do it to YOUR company and see if your opinions change. But hey, I'm sure your company isn't "Greedy" and "Evil" like Starbucks. For a list of companies that aren't greedy and don't defend their intellectual properties, just search the Chapter 11 filings, there are a lot of them listed there.