Commission of the European Communities v. Germany
European Court of Justice
2008 E.T.M.R. 32 (2008)
- Written by Wesley Bernhardt , JD
Facts
Parmigiano Reggiano was a protected designation of origin (PDO) referencing a type of cheese made in Italy. The English translation of “Parmigiano” is “Parmesan.” Some non-Italian entities began marketing cheese using the name “Parmesan” and used geographic references to Italy in their marketing. Under Article 13(1)(b) of European Union Regulation 208/92, European Union member states were required to protect PDOs within their borders. The Commission of the European Communities (plaintiff) (the commission) alleged that Germany (defendant) failed to uphold its obligations under Article 13 by refusing to initiate proceedings against entities using the “Parmesan” label.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning ()
What to do next…
Here's why 964,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:
- Written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students. 47,500 briefs, keyed to 1,006 casebooks. Top-notch customer support.
- The right amount of information, includes the facts, issues, rule of law, holding and reasoning, and any concurrences and dissents.
- Access in your classes, works on your mobile and tablet. Massive library of related video lessons and high quality multiple-choice questions.
- Easy to use, uniform format for every case brief. Written in plain English, not in legalese. Our briefs summarize and simplify; they don’t just repeat the court’s language.
- AI-generated podcast version of every brief — listen on the go, between classes, or whenever reading isn’t an option. New
Understand your casebook readings in seconds
Use our case briefs to comprehend your casebook readings faster, supplement your notes and outlines, and outshine your peers in class.
Get instant access to over 47,500+ expert-written case briefs in a searchable database keyed to 1,006 law school casebooks.

