"NAPA VALLEY" IS NOW A REGISTERED AND CERTIFIED TRADEMARK. IT IS THE FIRST US NAME TO RECEIVE STATUS THAT STRENGTHENS INTERNATIONAL PROTECTION OF THE MOST IMPORTANT WINE REGION IN THE STATES, THANKS TO THE NAPA VALLEY VINTNERS

Many have thought about also registering a trademark together with the status of "protected designation of origin", to protect the regional wines on world markets from fraud, forgery and misuse, but few have done anything concrete about it. One of the few is Napa Valley, the most famous and important wine region in California and the United States. Thanks to the work of the Napa Valley Vintners (http://napavintners.com), the non-profit association founded in 1944, uniting more than 525 producers, a few days they received the "Certification Mark" by the US Patent and Trademark Office for the name "Napa Valley", which is the first US denomination (Ava - American Viticultural Area) to reach this goal.
“Hard work that has lasted five years”, has given this result, explained the association, “and it was made possible thanks to agreements between over 100 brand owners, to reach a critical position for the protection of regional wines globally. More than 50 written agreements were signed between wineries and wine-related activities that use the word "Napa" in their trademarks, demonstrating the names were consistent with the standards of the Napa Valley AVA. And following the procedures another 50 agreements with individual "Napa" brand owners were signed to validate the application of the certification”.

It has been a complicated path for Napa Valley, but it is now recognized and protected in Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, EU, India, Israel, New Zealand, Norway, Taiwan, Thailand and Turkey, and the new US recognition will allow Napa Valley Vintners to negotiate with other countries for the protection of the brand, to benefit producers and consumers.