Move my halloumi: Cyprus defeats an Indian company in a trademark dispute

 Move my halloumi: Cyprus defeats an Indian company in a trademark dispute

An Ahmedabad-based food processing consultant had submitted an application to register a figurative trademark that included the name of a particular Cypriot cheese, "Halloumi."

New Delhi: The government of Cyprus has declared that there would be no cheese transfer with regard to Halloumi, the well-known and unique kind of cheese made there. Cyprus was effective in preventing an Indian company from registering Halloumi as a trademark in that country.

The application of Ahmedabad-based Flavy Dairy Solutions to register a figurative trademark with the term "Halloumi" has been rejected by the government of Cyprus. The application could have been connected to a consulting organization that prepared the recipe and technology to make cheese for its clients. Dairy and food processing advice is provided by Flevy.

Nations have always backed their "original" trademarks. Molson Coors was sued by Canada in 2006 because the company used the name "Canadian" in one of their beer lines. The European Union was sued by the Australian government in 2007 for using the term "feta" on cheese products. Additionally, RiceTech was sued by India in 2009 for using the name "Basmati" in a range of rice products.

The government of Cyprus owns the trademark "Halloumi," which refers to a cheese with certain distinctive qualities from Cyprus.

In December 2021, Flavi initiated the registration procedure for 'Halloumi'. In May 2022, the government of Cyprus took immediate action. The Republic of Cyprus's Ministry of Energy, Commerce, and Industry is in charge of the "protection" of the cheese and its trademarks. submitted an objection to the Ahmedabad Trade Marks Registry.

It is a well-established fact that intangible assets, like trademarks, are growing more important and are generating "wealth" or "value." According to the Government of Cyprus, intangible assets now account for more than 90% of market values worldwide. stated Safir Anand, senior partner of the legal company that took up the matter, Anand & Anand.

He said, "This is all the more reason why trademarks must be protected, monitored, enforced and commercialized."

Despite the fact that Halloumi is not a registered trademark in India, the Government of Cyprus used the mark's well-knownness, uniqueness, and unbreakable link with Cyprus as grounds for resistance.

In the end, the Indian business gave up on the trademark application 1.5 years after it was submitted and did not challenge the objection. On November 20, 2023, the Office of the Trade Marks Registry issued an order considering the application to be abandoned.