Date: Mon, 23 Feb 1998 22:28:45 -0800
Subject: M-G: First Basmati, now the Cohiba


A few days ago Siddarth Chatterjee made note of the appropriation by an
American company of the name "Basmati" for its rices, none of which are
grown in India.  This of course harms the economy of India and of Indian
farmers.  Now, it seems the same is being attempted with another product
not protected by copyright or trade mark because it was assumed that
tradition and long-standing association of the name with its place of
origin was enough: the Cuban Cohiba cigar.  
Today, in the United States, National Public Radio broadcast a story
about a "New Cohiba" cigar that has been introduced and trade-marked. 
It is not made in Cuba, does not use Cuban-grown tobacco. The "New
Cohiba" reportedly has a filling of Dominican tobacco, is wrapped in
Indonesian and Cameroonian leaves, and has no association with Cuba. As
it is a clear ploy to reach into the growing cigar market in the US by
exploiting the fame of, and demand for, still-ilegal Cuban cigars here,
Cuba finds itself in the curious position of having to defend its
exclusive right to the use of the name "Cohiba" in a market to which it
has no direct access, and in courts whose judgements it has previously
rejected.


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