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The purchase of the House of Windsor does not impact American Western Cigar Co., which will continue to sell its flavored, handmade lines including Island Amaretto, Island Collection, Rum Runner and West Indies Vanilla. American Western had been distributing House of Windsor products to the trade for the last several years, but is a separate company. For Renegade, this is a significant expansion of their business, which has primarily been in cigarettes (Tucson, Tracker) and little cigars (Hombre, Vendetta). It will be interesting to see what they will do with the House of Windsor brands, which have been a favorite in convenience and drug stores for decades. Altadis U.S.A. wins trademark decision against Inter America A tiny, Miami-based cigar company has been denied trademark registration of its “Primo del Cristo” brand after the filing was opposed by a Cuban Cigar Brands, N.V., a subsidiary of Altadis U.S.A. The U.S. Trademark Trial and Appeal Board found on May 21 that a likelihood of confusion exists between Altadis U.S.A.’s series of marks involving the Montecristo brand and Inter America’s Primo del Cristo. Altadis U.S.A.’s vice president for national accounts Eric Workman testified in a deposition that extension lines of high-profile brands are quite common and based on this and the case law in trademark matters, the TTAB concluded that “The clear implication is that consumers will likely be confused into thinking that PRIMO DEL CRISTO is a new brand offered as opposer as a ‘first,’ ‘leading,’ ‘excellent’ or ‘superior’ line of MONTECRISTO cigars.” Of course, the two brand names hardly stand toe-to-toe in the U.S. cigar market. Inter America’s Primo del Cristo line was described by company officials as a cigar with very low sales and its prior two trademark registration attempts before the current (2004) filing were both abandoned. Workman testified he had never heard of it; the brand has been offered on and off through the years by Famous Smoke Shop as a value-priced, bundled brand made in Honduras in seven sizes. Montecristo, however, is a different story. The opinion noted that Workman testified that Altadis U.S.A.’s Montecristo and its brand extensions are “in the top ten” and “perhaps in the top five or six” brands marketed in the U.S., with sales in the millions of cigars annually and revenues in the “tens of millions” of dollars. Advertising and promotional support for the brand is in the “‘hundreds of thousands’ or sometimes ‘millions’ of dollars per year.” The TTAB decision prevents Inter America from trademarking the Primo del Cristo name; no doubt the cigars will take on a new identity. Primo del Primo, perhaps? Primo Supremo? And the winner is: Congratulations to Tom McIntire of Hastings, Nebraska, winner of our “Register & Win” drawing for a free box of Montana Sport Toros (in maduro) from our Perelman, Pioneer & Company humidors, courtesy of Montana Sport Cigars. Up for your pleasure this week is the fabulous new Cuvee-Cusano Taste Tour Sampler! It’s a collection eight robusto-sized cigars (5 inches by 50 ring), each in a different blend: Cuvee Blanc, Cuvee Rouge, Cuvee No. 151, Cusano 18 Double Connecticut, Cusano 18 Paired Maduro, Cusano Corojo ‘97, Cusano Habano Sungrown and Cusano Rare Cameroon. They’re all made by hand in the Dominican Republic and you’ll find each a treat. This sampler is provided courtesy of our friends at DomRey Cigars and we’ll add to it with a Mean Sardine Cutter from Xikar, Inc. and an elegant two-finder case from Andre Garcia Cases. All three will be awarded in our drawing to be held on Sunday, June 15. To enter, just click on the “Register & Win” tab above and fill out the required information. If you have entered in the past, there is no need to re-enter; all past entries are carried forward to future drawings. You must be 21 or older to win; good luck! ~ Rich Perelman CLASSIFIED ADVERTISINGCigar Humidors and Cigar Accessories at Humidor Vault! Your online cigar humidor source, with rock-bottom pricing and fantastic customer support!Like sports? Get news and commentary you won’t see in your morning newspaper at TheSportsExaminer.com! Join the examination! A limited amount of classified advertising is available in this space on a weekly basis. For details, call Pat Harris at (213) 365-7965 or inquire by email by clicking here. Have an opinion? You can send it using the “Comment” button below! Don’t forget to register for our drawing for free cigars and accessories! Just click on the “Register & Win” button above; enter today! Looking for a cigar party? Take a look at our exclusive list of hundreds of cigar events across the country, listed by state and date, only on CigarCyclopedia.com!
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Did you know?
“Cigars were introduced to the American Colonies by British Col. Israel Putnam on his return from Cuba in 1762.
