Various media sources have reported that Russia is requiring Champagne wines from the actual appellation of Champagne to tout “Sparkling Wine” on their labels as a result of a new law that went into effect on July 2nd. See, e.g., Only Wines Made in Russia Can be Called Champagne Under…
Tag: international wine law
Penfolds: The Unfolding of China’s New Trademark Law
A new case that may show the effects of China’s recently updated trademark law made headlines this last week. Treasury Wine Estates reported that the company did not register the Chinese name for Penfolds and is currently engaging in a legal battle with Li Daozhi, an allegedly notorious trademark squatter….
The New Chinese Trademark Law In Effect: The Wine Version
There’s been a lot of news over the last few months with respect to China and wine trademarks, especially with respect to French winemakers. See, e.g., Is China Making a Step Forward in Wine Trademark Law? and French Wine Company Castel Frères to Pursue Trademark Battle Against Panati in China’s Supreme Court. On May…
Chateau Mouton Rothschild Tells Burgundy Wine Producer to Change its Name
Bordeaux estate Château Mouton Rothschild recently sent a Burgundy wine producer, Vintner Laurent Mouton, a cease and desist letter, asking the producer to stop use of the name “Domaine Mouton” on its wine labels. The Château claimed that use of such a name on wine labels was “unauthorised reproduction [and] amounts to…
European Parliament Passes Stricter Legislation for Labeling Sangria Wines
I spent several weeks one summer in the Andalucía region of Spain. My trip included Granada, Seville, Cádiz, Córdoba, Madrid, Toledo, Segovia, and a few other cities. While the weather—particularly the mid-afternoon—was sweltering, one thing I did look forward to was trying the sangria at the many tapas restaurants we frequented. I…
French Wine Company Castel Frères to Pursue Trademark Battle Against Panati in China’s Supreme Court
A few weeks ago, On Reserve documented the story of Château Listran and the winery’s inevitable trademark defeat in the Chinese market by way of brand squatters. This week, we bring you a very similar story detailing the grievances of China’s trademark laws and impact on true brand owners who pursue…
What’s in a Name: French Winery Forced to Change Trademark to Avoid Squatters
A common theme in the age of the Internet is a concept known as cybersquatting (or domain squatting). Simply put, cybersquatting entails the registration of a domain name in bad faith, i.e., registering a domain name of a trademark with the intent to later sell the domain to the company…
Yamanashi: The First Japanese Geographical Indication for Wine
On July 16, 2013, the Director General of the Tax Agency of Japan announced the designation of Yamanashi as the first Japanese geographical indication (“GI”) for wine. “To be allowed to carry the name of Yamanashi, wine needs to use only limited kinds of grape from Yamanashi, including Koshu and…
Argiano, Italian Wine Producer, Acquitted in Brunello di Montalcino Trial
During my last semester of college, I was fortunate to take a restaurant management class that acquainted me with a completely new area of law. My professor assigned an article from The New York Times about the alleged fraudulent production of Brunello di Montalcino using grapes other than the Sangiovese varietal. (Read…
Napa Valley Receives Geographical Indication Status in Brazil
Recently, Napa Valley Vintners Association (“NVVA”) announced that Brazil has formerly recognized that Napa Valley is of Geographical Indication (“GI”) status. Brazil will now protect Napa Valley from misuse of the wine region’s name within Brazil’s borders. (See Napa Valley Vintners Announce GI Status Approval in Brazil.) The news was announced…