The European Court of Justice has dismissed claims that European law allows governments to automatically ban the use in wine brands of geographical designations that are not specifically protected by that country’s wine laws.
It had been feared that the use of non-official regions in wine brands may mislead consumers into thinking vintages are from traditional wine-making regions.
Judges said national courts have to consider such disputes on a case-by-case basis considering whether “there is a real risk that use of such a mark will mislead consumers.” France’s National Institute for Industrial Property had been attempting to stop Borie Manoux SARL from using the mark ‘Les Cadets d’Aquitaine.’
