Say cheese! Why Halloumi producers should smile at CJEU’s trademark decision

An association of Cypriot Halloumi producers clashed with the EUIPO over its validation of the mark ‘BBQloumi’, but a decision by the CJEU has given it cause to celebrate. Michael Tennant of Tennant IP reports.

Could an EU trademark case leave a bad aftertaste in the mouths of the official makers of Cyprus’ most famous cheese export, Halloumi?

Their rights came into question earlier in 2020 in the Foundation for the Protection of the Traditional Cheese of Cyprus named Halloumi v EUIPO (2020) at the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU).

Halloumi is a type of cheese that is synonymous with Cyprus. The matter involved the Foundation for the Protection of the Traditional Cheese of Cyprus named Halloumi, (the Foundation), an association of official Cypriot producers of Halloumi who own an EU collective mark for ‘Halloumi’.