Seattle Trademark Lawyer

An Idaho potato. Grown in Idaho.

Idaho potatoes? Grown in Turkey?

Last week, NPR aired a story about the Idaho Potato Commission’s reaction to a Turkish company’s effort to register IDAHO in connection with agricultural seeds in Turkey.

But not for potatoes, the company insists. They just like the foreign-sounding name.

Idaho apparently doesn’t have much of a reputation in Turkey — yet. It just doesn’t want its brand to go the way of other geographic names that were lost to genericide. Like Brussels with its sprouts or Cheddar and its cheese.

The story quotes Seattle’s Bob Cumbow on Idaho’s chances of protecting its geographical indication.

“[T]he whole idea of having enforceable geographical indications is still in discussion and dispute. The standards are going [to] vary from country to country and for that reason it’s going to be hit or miss where you can enforce these.”

Idaho’s hoping for a hit in Turkey. It’s registered various IDAHO marks in ten countries. Turkey’s not one of them, but I imagine that might soon change.