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Cease and desist for video on how to make “Grana Padano Style Cheese” [video]

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Re: Cease and desist for video on how to make “Grana Padano Style Cheese” [video]

#71
post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You can only call it that if you make it there and have a licence.

The license being the fundamendal part for authentic taste. /s

The licence being the fundamental part to protect the livelihoods of those who live in the region producing these valued products. But I guess we should outsource the production of this cheese to China instead, right?

Re: Cease and desist for video on how to make “Grana Padano Style Cheese” [video]

#72
post #54
post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> low quality lookalikes and if the low quality is really as low quality as claimed, consumer would stop buying it. But if the "low" quality is actually great quality/good value for money, then consumers will buy it - regardless of the naming. Using law to prevent competition is worse for the consumer.

Please don't use "the consumer will stop buying it" type arguments, there are so many examples in real life where you can see trash will absolutely be bought (mostly by people that don't know the world could be not trash). It is a bad faith argument.

> bought (mostly by people that don't know the world could be not trash)

These laws prevent package labeling from informing would-be consumers of the (potentially better) products the imitate. People could know that they have alternatives by requiring imitations to be clearly marked as such. A product clearly labeled as "cheese-style Xheis" suggests that "xheis" is an imitation of "cheese".

Re: Cease and desist for video on how to make “Grana Padano Style Cheese” [video]

#73
post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's both. They say they have relevant trademarks registered in Australia (where this guy is).

I guess because PDO is only in the EU?

The EU has agreements with many other large markets to make sure they do not produce (or import, in many cases) products violating a PDO or GI protection. This is often bidirectional, with the EU recognising PDOs (by other names) of other countries.

The sticky thing here —and likely the reason they also have trademarks— is this isn't just an AOC-style geographical label like Champagne, Grana Padano isn't a place, it means "Big grainy [cheese] from Po Valley".

But I think this guy is rolling over far too fast. If the internet can crowdfund honeymoons and holidays for otherwise well-off people, they should be able to buy this guy enough representation to stand up and not encourage companies to attack people for just saying the names of their trademarks. He's not selling their product under their name, he's not encouraging others to sell their product under their name, it's just a few people making cheese.

Re: Cease and desist for video on how to make “Grana Padano Style Cheese” [video]

#74

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This sounded really silly to me at first, but I guess it’s not much different than a company holding a trademark?

This is how we have protected products here in Europe - hundreds of cheeses, salamis, balsamico di modena, well basically anything with any history. It doesn't prevent copies, ie french/non local Swiss Gruyere, but its clear when you're buying it (AOP sign in the case of Gruyere). I don't see a problem with it - you have variety of selection, competition is not stiffled, but if you want traditional original one, you…

The problem is not in the supermarket. The problem is when YouTube is taking down how to videos because someone used a special word for cheese.

Re: Cease and desist for video on how to make “Grana Padano Style Cheese” [video]

#75
post #54
post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> low quality lookalikes and if the low quality is really as low quality as claimed, consumer would stop buying it. But if the "low" quality is actually great quality/good value for money, then consumers will buy it - regardless of the naming. Using law to prevent competition is worse for the consumer.

Please don't use "the consumer will stop buying it" type arguments, there are so many examples in real life where you can see trash will absolutely be bought (mostly by people that don't know the world could be not trash). It is a bad faith argument.

If they like their knockoff cheese who cares?

Re: Cease and desist for video on how to make “Grana Padano Style Cheese” [video]

#76
The funny thing is that such bans really pointless in the cheese creation area at least. It is so insanely expensive and complicated to make quality cheese on scale that we might as well not bother. You need a specific cows which cost as much as a Mercedes, eating a specific food which may not be available or available too far with prohibitive transportation cost, living in a specific conditions (where a personnel entering looks more like entering an Umbrella corp facility), requiring a specific highly regulated facilities around (e.g. butchery), you need to have all production line sterile and clean, nothing can be reused even from another line, and all that's just the milk part. Then we need some extremely complicated facility to grow cheese and it may fail anyway because some parameter was off.

PS: the takedown notice is stupid of course

Re: Cease and desist for video on how to make “Grana Padano Style Cheese” [video]

#77
post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The license being the fundamendal part for authentic taste. /s

The licence being the fundamental part to protect the livelihoods of those who live in the region producing these valued products. But I guess we should outsource the production of this cheese to China instead, right?

If China could make cheese as good as European cheese, they would. PDO is not currently stopping them.

Re: Cease and desist for video on how to make “Grana Padano Style Cheese” [video]

#78
post #59

I had no idea that Grana Padano was a PDO. I can't help but feel that going around cease and desisting people that are passionately pursuing hobbies is a really bad idea. It reminds me of when the word Champagne was taken to court. The court ruled that the word could only be used by wine makers in the given region. What this resulted in was not I believe good for the Champagne region, despite the intent. The mind sha…

The problem is that there are always others who will piggyback of your product to boost their own sales, while not maintaining the quality standards that led to the name recognition in the first place.

In California they also sell "Californian Champagne", some legal quirk allows it. There is no problem with their wine, it's fine wine (the one time I had it).

It's just NOT Champagne. That doesn't make it bad wine, but it's just distinctively not the same product. Just like Prosecco is also not Champagne.

And if you don't protect your name soon "Champagne" doesn't mean anything anymore, including for the original, quality maintaining, wine makers from the Champagne region in France.

Re: Cease and desist for video on how to make “Grana Padano Style Cheese” [video]

#79
post #59

I had no idea that Grana Padano was a PDO. I can't help but feel that going around cease and desisting people that are passionately pursuing hobbies is a really bad idea. It reminds me of when the word Champagne was taken to court. The court ruled that the word could only be used by wine makers in the given region. What this resulted in was not I believe good for the Champagne region, despite the intent. The mind sha…

You have no idea how regions in EU works. They do not get money from cheap water produced abroad, it only dilutes their brand.

Re: Cease and desist for video on how to make “Grana Padano Style Cheese” [video]

#80
post #77
post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The licence being the fundamental part to protect the livelihoods of those who live in the region producing these valued products. But I guess we should outsource the production of this cheese to China instead, right?

If China could make cheese as good as European cheese, they would. PDO is not currently stopping them.

It is, because they would be unable to sell it in the first world.
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