The Champagne wine region, en rouge.
Champagne, Blawgletter hears, comes only from France. Nor may it hail from just any old spot within the domain of Marianne. Non! Absolument pas! It must originate from — certainement! – either of two splotches in the northeast.
Which may help explain why the Gallic maker of "Cristal" Champagne sued a Spanish wine-maker for calling its Cava — also a sparkling white wine – "Cristalano".
[It does not shed light on why Champagne Louis Roderer filed suit in the great non-wine-making state of Minnesota.]
The district court granted summary judgment for the Spaniards on the ground of laches. CLR, the court held, waited too long after learning about Cristalano to enforce CLR's Cristal-clear trademark rights.
The Eighth Circuit reversed. It concluded that, au contraire, CLR failed to establish its laches defense. Champagne Louis Roderer v. J. Garcia Carrion, S.A., No. 08-2907 (8th Cir. June 24, 2009).
Contrast the result with "D.C. Circuit Revives "Redskins" Trademarks; Laches v. Estoppel".
