Letter
Dear Ambassador Greer:
On behalf of the Consortium for Common Food Names (CCFN), its member companies, and the undersigned agricultural associations, we write to express our sincere appreciation for your leadership in defending the rights of producers and consumers to make, sell, and purchase food and beverage products using common names such as “parmesan,” “bologna,” “chateau,” “kölsch” and “basmati.”
We commend the Administration’s strong advocacy in advancing trade agreements that meaningfully protect market access for widely recognized common names. The groundbreaking new generic terms protection model and gold-standard due process procedures reflected in recent trade agreements with Malaysia, Cambodia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Argentina, Bangladesh, Taiwan and Indonesia demonstrate a thoughtful, thorough and courageous approach to international trade rules that preserves fair competition while respecting intellectual property laws in the United States and around the world. This model stands as a critical blueprint for future negotiations, and we thank you for championing it.
Through these recent agreements, USTR has demonstrated that a new policy establishing strong, multi-faceted protections for common names are not only possible, but necessary to protect U.S. export interests. This Administration has won explicit commitments to prevent restrictions on the use of many widely used food and beverage names, in addition to the most thorough due process requirements to date for evaluating geographical indication (GI) applications. These agreements protect real market access for U.S. agricultural exporters, farmers, and manufacturers.
Beyond the results of individual agreements, we also appreciate the broader efforts underway by the U.S. government to work with numerous trading partners to set the record straight regarding the misuse of European Union GI policies. We cannot stress enough our appreciation for the Administration’s work in defending U.S. rights. The Trump Administration, through the outstanding collective work by USTR, USDA, and the U.S. Patent Trademark Office, has sent the clear message to the European Union that “enough is enough.” Its abuse of GI restrictions to coerce countries to accept illegitimate intellectual property protections is a clear example of an unfair trade practice that this Administration has rightly taken steps to redress.
As we look ahead, it is vital that the Administration builds on this success and continues to fight. The pledges that you have negotiated with trading partners to implement fair and transparent GI evaluation processes will help ensure that common names are respected and that U.S. products can compete on a level playing field. This is particularly significant in an expanding market where common name products represent real growth opportunities for American producers.
We are grateful for your steadfast defense of American agriculture and industry, and for your commitment to preserving consumer choice and producer rights in global markets. As these efforts continue, we stand ready to support your work and to help advance policies that uphold both fair competition and the long-standing traditions of food production that so many Americans value.
Thank you again for your leadership.
Sincerely,
Consortium for Common Food Names
American Farm Bureau Federation
Brewers Association
Meat Institute
National Association of State Departments of Agriculture
National Council of Farmer Cooperatives
National Milk Producers Federation
U.S. Dairy Export Council
USA Rice Federation
Wine Institute
