A dispute over protecting geographically based food names like ‘gouda’ and ‘gorgonzola’ is the latest sticking point in the Asia-Pacific trade talks.
Feta is Greek. Gouda is Dutch. But both are also as Wisconsin as it gets. In the heat of the Trans-Pacific Partnership talks, a raging debate has broken out about whether individual countries own the intellectual property rights on names of food and drink. Do the French own brie? Italians gorgonzola? Can Australian vintners call their sparkling wine champagne? The European Union comes to the debate brandishing not cheese but position papers that insist on protecting these “geographic indicators” for food.
