Handicap Match: Puerto Rico v. Cuba and France

Puerto Rico-based Bacardi gains a victory over French company Pernod Ricard, who, along with the Cuban government, is challenging a Bacardi trademark.

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) determined on August 3 that Cuba's registration of the HAVANA CLUB trademark is "cancelled/expired." The decision means that the Cuban government can no longer claim any rights to the mark in the United States. Bacardi - which owns the rights to the brand based on use and as a successor to the original owners - has a pending application to register the mark in its own name.

Suck it, commies!