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ARTICLE · 09 JUNE 2021

The « Morbier » Cheese Protected Denomination Of Origin : A Thin Black Line That Makes The Difference.

Marx Van Ranst Vermeersch & Partners
Explore more from Marx Van Ranst Vermeersch & Partners

In a decision of 17 December 2020 (C-490/19, Syndicat interprofessionnel de défense du fromage Morbier), the ECJ reminds everyone...

BelgiumIntellectual Property
Emilie Deturck
Emilie Deturck
Olivier Sasserath
Olivier Sasserath

In a decision of 17 December 2020 (C-490/19, Syndicat interprofessionnel de défense du fromage Morbier), the ECJ reminds everyone to the far reaching protection offered by a Protected Denomination of Origin (PDO) under EU Reg. 1151/2012 on quality schemes for agricultural products and foodstuffs.

The case submitted to the Court concerns the PDO for the French cheese « Morbier ». The specifications of that PDO (i.e. the information about what makes the product different from the other products) mention that « Throughout each slice the cheese has a continuous, joined, horizontal, central black mark ».

1077798.jpg

(representation of a Morbier)

A cheese manufacturer marketing a cheese containing such « continuous joined horizontal central black mark » is sued by the Syndicat interprofessionnel de défense du fromage Morbier, for infringement of the PDO.

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