Champagne industry fights to protect name from misuse worldwide

PERNAY · A French organization is waging a global legal battle to stop the word Champagne from being used on products like toilet paper, bubble bath and shoes. The Comité Interprofessionnel du Vin de Champagne, based in Épernay, has a collection of such items in its office basement. The group employs a four-person legal team and collaborates with 70 lawyers worldwide to protect the famous sparkling wine appellation. Its head of legal, Marie-Anne Humbert Genand, explains the core issue. "It's not a generic term," she said while showing visitors the shelves of misappropriated products.

Winemakers in the Champagne region have been taking legal action to protect their name since the 1840s. Early cases included a lawsuit by Barbe‑Nicole Clicquot Ponsardin of Veuve Clicquot against producers labelling non-regional wines as Champagne. These successful court actions helped lead to the region's formal Protected Designation of Origin status in 1936. Those regulations are now recognized and supported across the entire European Union.

The committee's staff constantly monitors the internet for unauthorized use of the Champagne name. They watch domain-name registrations and activity on e-commerce platforms. When they find an infringement, they first send a cease-and-desist letter. If that fails, they pursue all available legal remedies, including litigation. "We act quickly," Genand said. "It's important to be aggressive." The committee was established in 1941 to represent the region's grape growers and wine producers, and protecting the appellation has always been part of its mandate.

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This aggressive approach has forced many products off the market. Yves Saint Laurent's Champagne perfume from 1993 and Unilever's Andrélon Champagne hair-care product from 2010 were both withdrawn after complaints. Some older brands are allowed to continue using the term due to grandfather clauses. Miller High Life beer can still use its "the Champagne of Beers" slogan because it dates to 1903, predating a key 2006 trade agreement.

That 2006 agreement between the United States and the European Union allows established American brands like Korbel California Champagne to keep their names. However, it prohibits American wineries from using "Champagne" on the labels of any new domestic wine releases. A similar agreement was reached with Canada in 2003. Canadian wineries agreed to phase out European designations like Champagne, Chablis and Port. Producers were given a decade to rename brands such as Brights President Canadian Champagne and introduce new labels.

With files from The Globe and Mail