Cuba fumes over ‘blatant robbery’ of Cohiba brand

Cuba has accused the U.S. of enabling the ‘blatant robbery’ of brand names from the island following a new court verdict in a lawsuit between Cubatabaco and U.S.-based General Cigar over the Cohiba cigars brand name.

“The blatant robbery of Cuban trademarks in the United States continues to be protected by federal authorities hiding behind the spurious regulations of the economic, financial and commercial embargo that Washington wages against Cuba,” said an EFE News Service story quoting the official website, Cubadebate.

Havana’s accusations come after the U.S. Trademark Trial and Appeal Board decided recently that General Cigar may continue using the Cohiba brand name to market its cigars in the U.S.

This is the most recent decision in the Cohiba legal battle that has gone on for almost 16 years, Cubadebate said, adding that the board decided that because Cubatabaco may not sell its cigars in the U.S., it lacked legal standing to claim the registered Cohiba brand.