Spanish Supreme Court Rejects Champagne Industry’s Challenge to “Champín” Soft Drink

The Supreme Court of Spain has reportedly dismissed a challenge brought by the Comité Interprofessionel Du Vin de Champagne alleging that Champín, a Spanish fruit-flavored soft drink, infringes the organization’s protected-designation-of-origin rights. The organization asserted that Champín could be confused with Champagne, which may only describe sparkling wines made in that region. The court disagreed, finding that “Champín differs enough with respect to those products protected by the Champagne appellation that the phonetic similarity does not evoke the product.” See The Local, March 10, 2016.

Issue 597