Many new “Passing off”, Cases for the Cognac Industry

Different interpretations of the name Cognac in European countries have lead to a host of challenges for the BNIC lawyers in Cognac. Spirits can only be called cognac if they are made in The Charente region of France and comply with a list of other conditions designed to protect both its quality and heritage.

During the last few years variants of the name have cropped up. The Russian word “Conyack” means in Russia the same for brandy and Cognac, whilst in Finland there is a case concerning the use of the word Konjakki to describe the brandy sold by Oy Gust Ranin. In Hungary too, the word Konyak has been used and this has occurred in many other eastern European countries to describe their brandy. Perhaps the most unusual is the use of the word cognac to describe a range of clothes in Turkey.

For the time being however, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery…