I got a take-down notice from Redbubble because I named one of the decorated Christmas tree pictures "Champagne Dreams". I assume that I couldn't use the word Champagne (they never indicate a reason). It seems strange to me as I am not making a competitive product. And to not be able to use Champagne as a word would be so restrictive, we would have breakdowns in language communications. Before that I received a noticed for a picture of a Dahlia that I named "Demure". There's a Disney movie with that name, so they attempted a take-down on that image. I responded to it and it was restored.
I don't think Champagne is a violation of a protected name given it is a region and I am not producing a competing product. I did decide that it takes too much work and I reloaded it as "Sparkling Dreams" to the website.
So somehow I decided to explore the complicated world of cheeses and their protected names.
Most cheeses are named by their place of origin. Cheddar comes to mind - a village in England where the cheese originates. It is first recorded in 1170 where King Henry II purchased 10,240 pounds. There are cheeses all over the world named Cheddar - it is also a process of cheese making - cheddaring where curds are cut and stacked. Cheddar is a name used internationally. Only the name "West Country Farmhouse Cheddar" is protected. Most famous cheeses from Europe are protected in some way. And that's even after Brexit.
The legislation is designed to protect regional foods and came into force in 1992 and applies in the EU and in Northern Ireland. The EU designations are open for EU and non-EU products. Following Brexit therefore, UK cheeses remained in the register. Any cheese with a protected geographical cheese in the EU in 2020, is automatically protected in the UK as well.
So let's take Gouda - it is named after the city of Gouda in Holland. It is first mentioned in 1184, one of the oldest recorded cheeses still made today. The name Gouda is not restricted to choose of Dutch origin. However, “Boerenkaas”, “Noord-Hollandse Gouda”, and “Gouda Holland” are protected geographical indications in the European Union. These cheeses can be made only in the Netherlands (although not only in the Dutch provinces of South Holland, in which Gouda is situated) and can use milk produced only by Dutch cows.
Gorgonzola cheese charts to 879 AD. Natural caves were used to age the cheese. The cheese production and maturing area became protected in the 20th century. This information came from the website that is named Gorgonzola - Consortium for the Protection of the Gorgonzola Cheese.
Stilton cheese has gone through changes throughout history. When it was first made in the 1600’s it was a cream cheese sold in and around the village of Stilton, England. There was controversy over whether Stilton cheese originated in Stilton or in Melton Mowbray. Now for cheese to use the name "Stilton", it must be made in one of the three counties of Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire and use pasteurised local milk. Manufacturers of Stilton in these counties received protection under European Law as a protected designation of origin (PDO) in 1996.
What about us in the New World? There are two American cheeses - Montery Jack and Colby. Are there any Canadian cheeses with protected names? I haven't found any.
However, there are lots of artisan Canadian cheeses. Just down the road in Jordan is well known Upper Canada Cheese Company. Only one of their cheeses has a familiar name type - cheddar - yes it is an unprotected cheese name. The others have names such as Comfort Cream that don't reference Camembert.
In contrast, here's the Tulip "Marilyn". I feel flattered there's a tulip with my name.
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