JUDGE POKES HOLES IN CHEESEMAKERS’ CASE

Gruyere cheese does not have to come from the Gruyere region of Europe to be sold under the gruyere name, a federal judge has ruled. A consortium of Swiss and French cheesemakers from the region around the town of Gruyeres, Switzerland, sued in U.S. District Court in Virginia after the federal Trademark Trials and Appeals Board denied an application for trademark protections. The consortium said gruyere — often a mild, smooth-melting cheese — has been made to exacting standards in the region since the early 12th century, and argued that cheese made outside the region can’t truly be called gruyere. U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis ruled that American consumers don’t associate the gruyere name with cheese made specifically from that region. The gruyere consortium is appealing Ellis’ ruling.