The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) made clear in April that the terms “pecorino” and “romano” (separately) remain generic in the United States. The USPTO granted to the Italian Pecorino Romano Consortium registration of the trademark “Pecorino Romano” (both terms used together with protection not extending to the terms when used separately). CCFN pushed hard to ensure that the separate, generic names would not be at risk, filing a letter of with USPTO that included additional evidence supporting the fact that the terms “romano” and “pecorino” are generic when used separately.
Meanwhile, in Canada, the trademark application for “gorgonzola” was declared abandoned by the Canadian Trademark Office in April after the Italian gorgonzola consortium missed a key deadline to file a counter statement to respond to CCFN’s opposition action.
“These successes demonstrate that we are making a difference by watching these applications carefully and providing solid, irrefutable evidence about the generic nature of these names,” said CCFN Executive Director Jaime Castaneda.
To read the rest of the story, please go to: Consortium for Common Food Names (CCFN)
