Latest Halloumi Saga Update



As someone from Cyprus, the home of Halloumi cheese, I’ve been following the recent ruling closely. The High Court of England & Wales handed down its judgment in the Halloumi case (CH-2024-000011) on September 9, 2024, in Foundation for the Protection of the Traditional Cheese of Cyprus named Halloumi v Fontana Food AB


What Happened? 🧀


The case involved trademark applications for “GRILLOUMI” and “GRILLOUMAKI.” Cyprus had already lost an appeal last year against a similar EU trademark for "GRILLOUMI." The Foundation for the Protection of Halloumi opposed the new applications, holding the UK collective mark for “HALLOUMI” since 2000. They argued the new names were too similar and might confuse consumers.


Confusing Similarity 🤔


The Court had to decide if “GRILLOUMI” and “GRILLOUMAKI” were too similar to “HALLOUMI.” In the end, it found that there wasn’t enough similarity between restaurant services and cheese itself to cause confusion. They concluded that consumers wouldn’t likely think that cheese and restaurant services came from the same place. Also, “HALLOUMI” was seen as weakly distinctive, which made confusion even less likely.


As for “GRILLOUMAKI,” the Court found it didn’t resemble “HALLOUMI” closely enough to cause confusion, despite some identical goods.


Reputation 🌟


The Court agreed with earlier findings that “HALLOUMI” didn’t have a strong enough reputation to stop “GRILLOUMI” or “GRILLOUMAKI” from being used on the basis of unfair advantage.


Wrap-Up 🎉

While the decision may not be what Halloumi producers hoped for, it highlights the evolving trademark landscape. It’s clear that simply having a longstanding name like “HALLOUMI” doesn’t guarantee success in every case, especially with products or services that aren’t directly related. This case reminds us how important it is to keep an eye on how trademarks are interpreted and enforced, particularly in a post-Brexit world. As for the Halloumi Foundation, they’ll likely be back with new strategies to strengthen their position in the UK market.

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