The Swiss voice in the world since 1935

US court rules gruyère cheese isn’t just Swiss

gruyère
Gruyère is the most popular Swiss cheese in Switzerland, and in most of Europe. Unlike Emmental, with which it is often confused, it has no eyes and is a favourite for fondues. © Keystone / Michael Buholzer

A US court of appeals confirmed on Friday that the term gruyère is a common label for cheese and can’t be reserved for a type from a specific region, namely in Switzerland or France, on the US market.

A consortium of Swiss and French cheesemakers from the region around the town of Gruyères in western Switzerland had tried to register the term gruyère in the US as a certified brand. But after being denied an application for trademark protection, they filed a complaint in the state of Virginia, losing in the first instance in early 2022.

+ Gruyère cheese group loses trademark case in US

On Friday, the Virginia-based US Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit upheld the decision, arguing that the US doesn’t have the same protections as in Europe on the name of food products. 

“Cheese – regardless of its location of production – has been labeled and sold as gruyere in America for decades,” the courtExternal link said. This concerns cheese produced in Wisconsin or as far away as the Netherlands, Germany or Austria, they added.

The decision was welcomed by several players in the US dairy sector, including the Federation of American Dairy Producers, who said that they hope the ruling will encourage the French and Swiss professional federations to “stop trying to expropriate a common name from food” by registering a trademark.

The Swiss and French federations were, however, “disappointed”, according to their lawyer. “We think the actual situation in the US market is different than as stated by the Court of Appeals, and we will continue to pursue vigorously our efforts to protect the certification mark for the high-quality Gruyere AOP (P.D.O protected designation of origin) product in the US,” said attorney Richard Lehv in a message sent to Agence France-Presse.

Popular Stories

Most Discussed

News

Plane grazes hikers on Monte Rosa, pilot apologises

More

Plane grazes hikers on Monte Rosa

This content was published on A Geneva-registered tourist plane grazed some ski mountaineers on Saturday on a glacier on the Swiss side of the Monte Rosa massif.

Read more: Plane grazes hikers on Monte Rosa
The air in climbing gyms is more polluted than on the streets

More

Air in climbing gyms more polluted than on streets

This content was published on The concentration of potentially harmful chemicals in climbing gyms is sometimes higher than on busy roads, say researchers from Switzerland and Austria.

Read more: Air in climbing gyms more polluted than on streets
Swiss with lower profit in the first quarter

More

SWISS reports lower profit in first quarter

This content was published on Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS) achieved slightly higher sales at the start of the year. However, profits fell sharply, partly due to the late Easter.

Read more: SWISS reports lower profit in first quarter
Significantly less wine is drunk in Switzerland

More

Swiss drink significantly less wine

This content was published on Wine consumption in Switzerland fell by almost 8% in 2024 compared to the previous year. Swiss wines are particularly affected by the decline.

Read more: Swiss drink significantly less wine

In compliance with the JTI standards

More: SWI swissinfo.ch certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative

You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!

If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR