A U.S. choose dominated final week that gruyere cheese doesn't must be from Gruyeres, Switzerland, to be able to be bought beneath the title.

Gruyere, a preferred cheese for fondues due to its delicate style and clean melting, has been made within the area round Gruyeres because the early twelfth century. An affiliation of French and Swiss cheesemakers sued in district court docket after the federal Trademark Trials and Appeals Board denied an software for trademark protections.

The group argued that the case was like that of champagne, wherein to wine aficionados, true champagne comes from the Champagne area of France and is made beneath sure rules. The identical is to be stated for the gruyere cheese, in accordance with the group.

Nonetheless, the U.S. Dairy Export Council and different teams opposed the trademark safety, saying American customers perceive the gruyere title to be generic, making use of to cheeses of a sure type no matter their native land.

Related trademark protections have been positioned on Roquefort cheese, the oldest of cheeses, and Cognac brandy, each made in France. Nonetheless, U.S. Decide T.S. Ellis believes the identical case cannot be made for gruyere.

"It's clear from the document that the time period gruyere could have up to now referred solely to cheese from Switzerland and France," he wrote. "Nonetheless, a long time of importation, manufacturing and sale of cheese labeled gruyere produced exterior the Gruyere area of Switzerland and France have eroded the that means of that time period and rendered it generic."

The Meals and Drug Administration (FDA) regulates the usage of the gruyere title and not one of the necessities specify its native land, as Ellis cited.

Gruyere cheese is produced from milk from cows that roam the pastures of the Fribourg Prealps and naturally forage. Their milk is then delivered each day to native cheese dairies, the place the milk is combined with different elements. It's then compressed with a weight for 20 hours to organize it for growing older, which may take as much as 18 months.

Gruyere Cheese
A U.S. choose dominated final week that Gruyere cheese doesn't must be from Gruyeres, Switzerland, to be able to be bought beneath the title. Above, gruyere cheese wheels mature in an enormous cellar in Bulle, western Switzerland, on August 29, 2011.Fabrice Coffrini/Getty Pictures

Shawna Morris, a senior vp for commerce coverage with the U.S. Dairy Export Council, stated the authorized battle over gruyere is a part of an elevated effort in Europe to hunt worldwide commerce safety for a wide range of merchandise, together with gorgonzola, asiago and feta cheeses and bologna lunch meats.

"We're thrilled that the choose made an excellent name right here, in our view," she stated.

The European consortium didn't return an e mail looking for remark. In court docket papers, its legal professionals argued that Swiss and French gruyere is "painstakingly produced from native, pure elements utilizing conventional strategies that guarantee the connection between the geographic area and the standard and traits of the ultimate product."

They stated permitting others to make use of the gruyere title would confuse American customers.

The group is trying to overturn Ellis' ruling.

The Related Press contributed to this report.