RSS
Twitter
Lebanon Claiming Only It Owns Hummus, Falafel, Tabouleh And Baba Gannouj
from the make-it-stop dept
Another day, another ridiculous intellectual property lawsuit. Along the same lines as various regions in France declaring that only they can sell "Champagne" or Greece being the only one allowed to offer "feta," a group in Lebanon is claiming that various popular middle eastern foods such as hummus, falafel, tabouleh and baba gannouj are property of Lebanon and Lebanon alone. In fact, the group is planning to sue Israel for "stealing" its food. They're actually claiming that this could be a violation of a "food copyright" (something that doesn't actually exist). Specifically, the group says that since Israel sells such foods, it's taking "tens of millions of dollars" away from Lebanon, where those foods should be bought. This, folks, is what happens when you build up a society around the idea of "owning" infinite goods.
Reader Comments (rss)
(Flattened / Threaded)
Amazing
I haven't laughed at a TechDirt article like that in a long time. People are SO FUNNY! Food copyrights hahahahahaha.
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
Politics
They already gave up an idea to sue Israel for last war damages. Instead, Lebanon came up with this ridiculous hummus idea.
I think every single stand-up show in Israel already laughed on this one.
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
Absolutely ridiculous
Everyone knows that all those foods are Turkish. Add to the list baklava, lokum, kefte, ...
:-)
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
WHAT ABOUT MY FISH
I still want to copyright my fish!
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
Food Copyrights
Maybe Israel or NY should go after everyone who has bagels with LOX and Creamcheese.... (mmm, with lettuce, tomatoe and Onion). It's a Jewish thing! :)
Food Copyrights, how assidine. Althought considering the redicoulous and firvalous patent / copyright infringment sutis that come out of our country, can you really blame other countries in the world from catching on?
That... is a U.S.A. thing.
Cheers!
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
Pay Up!
OK. I've just trademarked the word "casserole" I'm sure all you pirating thieves have eaten one at one time or another, so pay up.
Please send the money to P. O. Box 419, Lagos, Nigeria
01-753-87-3853
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
Obligatory Simpsons quote:
Helen: Hmm, Pita. Well, I don't know about food from the Middle East.
Isn't that whole area a little iffy?
Hostess: [laughs] Hey, I'm no geographer. You and I -- why don't we call it pocket bread, huh?
Maude: [reading the ingredients list] Umm, what's tahini?
Hostess: Flavor sauce.
Edna: And falafel?
Hostess: Crunch patties.
Helen: So, we'd be selling foreign...
Hostess: Specialty foods. Here, try a Ben Franklin.
Helen: [takes a bite] Mmm, that is good. What's in it?
Chef: [poking his head out of a window, looking of Indian origin]
Tabbouleh and rezmi-kabob.
Hostess: [trying to cover-up] Uh, th-that's our chef... Christopher.
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
Re: Food Copyrights
"Maybe Israel or NY should go after everyone who has bagels with LOX and Creamcheese.... (mmm, with lettuce, tomatoe and Onion). It's a Jewish thing! :)"
Israel is not a religious state right? If they were we couldnt really keep giving them $6,000,000,000.00 a year could we?
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
I guess Mike will quit complaining about IP when he actually has some IP worth protecting?
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
The Lebanese can keep their bloody hummus. Nasty stuff.
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
Who Do I Make this Check Out to ?
Just got done munching on some freedom fries. Do I pay Bush, McDonalds or France ?
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
RE: Absolutely ridiculous
Actually, those foods ARE Levantine (i.e. Lebanon, Syria and Jordan) in origin.
Still a good laugh though.
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
copyrights
im suing Lebanon. I copyrighted the use of the letter e in a name. I want damages for everytim lebanon has used its name on a map,book or other item
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
sue for burgers
maybe we should sue them for selling burgers and hotdogs...
How pathetic
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
Re: sue for burgers
Unfortunately, I think they only cook real food over there...
*ducks*
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
Well..
Well, those foods *are* originally from that area. Perhaps instead of copyright they should be trademarking the names. After all, you get nasty stuff like Baklava that the Greeks try to pass itself off as their own... and we all know that once Israeli's lay claim to something it takes a terrorist act to get it back. Think of this as a non-violent resistance to Israeli embrace-and-extend of everything from land grabs to food!
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
Re: WHAT ABOUT MY FISH
Hooray for obscure cartoon references.
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
mmm, champagne
It's not often I find myself jumping to the defence of the French (well, almost never to tell the truth), but in this case I do need to point out a little bit of a problem in your example. You mention 'infinite' goods and it's pretty obvious that champagne is not 'infinite' in its production possibilities. The geographic region of Champagne is pretty definitely a place and so you can only grow so many grapes there (and the couple of wine-loving Americans I know wouldn’t touch the counterfeit stuff produced in the US, patriotic as they are). I think most people would agree that when ordering Napa Valley, we would be pretty disappointed to get served something produced in Alaska with imported grape juice...
You can keep the feta as that is a word that refers to a type of cheese, so it is a bit dumb to specify where you can make it ;)
Apart from that, you're right to pounce on yet another lump of IP stupidity.
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
dumb law's
This is what happens when you have uderdeveloped humans who belive in god!
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
mmm Baba Ganouch
Good job my husband changed the name of their band from Baba Ganouch to Egg Planet LOL!
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
burgers and fries
I would like to volunteer on a contingency basis to be the city counsel for Hamburg, Germany, so that I can sue everyone for using the term Hamburger.
Also, the French chief legal officer for using French Fries.
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
Just guessing here
"I think most people would agree that when ordering Napa Valley, we would be pretty disappointed to get served something produced in Alaska with imported grape juice..."
I think the point is "wine" does not tell one where a product was produced, only what it is (fermented fruit juice - with antifreeze if its French - hehe). Champange is really no different, it is simply wine with a second fermentation (for bubbles). So any producer should be able to call any product made in that fashion, "champaign" and leave it to the customer to determine where it comes from, just like we do with "pinot" or "merlot".
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
bahaha, food copyright...hahahahahaahahaha
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
If I may venture a guess, I reckon this started out as a false-advertising claim, some Israeli company claiming to be making hummus or whatever to an 'authentic Middle Eastern recipe' when in fact it consists largely of chemical additives, and a Lebanese company that does make it the old-fashioned way seeking some redress for being undercut. But someone at the Lebanese government with more opportunism than common sense has realised that this presents a golden opportunity to wind the Israeli government up a bit, and responded accordingly.
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
Re:
You guessed wrong, Jake.
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
Re: RE: Absolutely ridiculous
those foods ARE Levantine
Sorry, but I gotta say "Prove it".
Actually, you can't. The origins of all those foods have been disputed forever; there simply is no one place from which they origin.
All of the countries whose people claim to "own" these foods were populated by nomadic tribes. Later, the entire region became a hub for trade, brining in and moving out goods and culture over a wider and wider area.
For most of these foods, the closest anyone could come to nailing down their origins would be "the middle east/mediterranean/north africa". Not overly narrow...
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
how
how is this tech?
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
Re: Just guessing here
A skilled sommelier could tell you which part of Champagne the grapes were grown in (in fact, sometimes which part of a particular vineyard). That's part of some of the sommelier exams.
In this case the name is specific to the characteristics of the grapes grown in the particular soil conditions and weather conditions and produced by vintners with particular skills and techniques that are passed down from generation....well, you get the idea.
I agree with Simon Lynch - selling "Champagne" from another geographical area is tantamount to fraud.
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
Re: how
What's tech? This is a food and copyright blog don't you know (oh..and porn as of today)
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
Re: mmm, champagne
I agree with Simon. Some of this is rediculous, but champaigne is pretty much a brand name. Any schmuck can create a Big Mac (two patties, thousand island dressing, pickles, onions, lettuce, cheese on a 3 layer bun), but to call it a Big Mac would still be misleading.
I feel a little dirty actually siding with France on something.
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
Re: Re: mmm, champagne
"champaigne is pretty much a brand name."
Pretty much? Is that a new legal standard for trademarks, pretty much?
And actually, it's not even close to being a brand name. It's a location.
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
Re: Re: Re: mmm, champagne
time for a toast... everyone got your glass of location?
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
Re: Re: Food Copyrights
for the anonymous (and stupid) coward
Here are the top 16 recipients of U.S. foreign aid for 2005:
1. Israel 2.58 Billion
2. Egypt 1.84 Billion
3. Afganistan 0.98 Billion
4. Pakistan 0.70 Billion
5. Colombia 0.57 Billion
6. Sudan 0.50 Billion
7. Jordan 0.48 Billion
8. Uganda 0.25 Billion
9. Kenya 0.24 Billion
10. Ethiopia 0.19 Billion
11. South Africa 0.19 Billion
12. Peru 0.19 Billion
13. Indonesia 0.18 Billion
14. Bolivia 0.18 Billion
15. Nigeria 0.18 Billion
16. Zambia 0.18 Billion
source:
CRS Report for Congress: Foreign Aid: An Introductory Overview of U.S.
Programs and Policy Updated January 19, 2005, page 14
http://shelby.senate.gov/legislation/ForeignAid.pdf
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
mmm, champagne
“And actually, it's not even close to being a brand name. It's a location” Although I must technically agree with the above statement, it is ultimately wrong with what I was implying where brand name should have been replaced with “type of wine”. Actually, Champagne is both a type of wine, an effervescent, as well as a location.
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
French Fries are actually from Belgium. 'French' is a method of frying not the country of origin.
If you have your 'Freadom Fries' with Mayonnaise that is Belgin.
With vinagar that is from Quebec.
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
Not Infinite Goods
This, folks, is what happens when you build up a society around the idea of "owning" infinite goods.
Ah...no. This, folks, is what happens when you cross Middle Eastern political conflict with idiot lawyers.
Or what happens when you try to stretch weak arguments against copyright to "infinite" extremes.
It has nothing to do with "infinite goods." Hummus, falafel, tabbouleh and baba ghanoush are not, in fact, infinite goods.
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
Re: dumb law's
Yes, all these uderdeveloped humans are indeed a problem.
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
Re: Food Copyrights
You really should get Firefox, it will spell check for you. Creamcheese, tomatoe, assidine, althought, rediculous, firvalous, sutis... you're a perfect candidate to switch. I mean no offense, it will just make you look a lot better when you write stuff on forums.
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
Re: Not Infinite Goods
It has nothing to do with "infinite goods." Hummus, falafel, tabbouleh and baba ghanoush are not, in fact, infinite goods.
The name of the food is what's infinite. Israelis naming their chickpea paste "hummus" doesn't take away any of the hummus from Lebanon. Lebanon's argument would almost come a little closer to holding some water if they claimed some kind of trademark violation, but copyright is just way off base.
And I don't see why Middle Eastern politics, idiot lawyers, and the concept of owning ideas can't all be contributing to this stupid situation.
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
not so funny
for everyone who finds the concept of "food copyright" so funny, here's a link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geographical_indication
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
I have patented 'apple'. Now I am suing both the computer company _and_ the record company.
Top that!
I may go after NYC and throat doctors, too. This is fun!
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
Re: Re: Just guessing here
"I agree with Simon Lynch - selling "Champagne" from another geographical area is tantamount to fraud."
But Merlot and Pinot are not becuase . . . ?
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
Re: Re: Re: Food Copyrights
"for the anonymous (and stupid) coward
Here are the top 16 recipients of U.S. foreign aid for 2005:
. Israel 2.58 Billion"
Ok if its only 2.8 Billion I guess its alright thier a religous state . . . right? They are . . . a religious state, right, or not? I guess it depends on what crowd the lobbyists are talking too at any given moment.
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
Re: not so funny
What is not funny at all is the fact that some people, not only in Lebanon but also on this site, can justify this lunacy. This is not food copyright - it is FOOD IMPERIALISM.
Unlike "Champagne" which is a name of a region in France, Humus, Falafel, Taboulleh etc. are not names of regions in Lebanon and were not originated specifically from the country of Lebanon.
A closer equivalent would be "Hamburger", which is named after the German city of Hamburg, but I haven't heard of any Germans trying to sue McDonnalds, Burger King etc.
Most significantly, this group in Lebanon plans to sue only Israel, and not Syria, Jordan, Egypt or any other country in Europe or America were Humus is commonly produced.
This clearly proves that the motivation for this action is not defending Humus but attacking Israel (as is the comment by the aptly named "anonymous coward" #8).
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
Re: not so funny
What is not funny at all is the fact that some people, not only in Lebanon but also on this site, can justify this lunacy. This is not food copyright - it is FOOD IMPERIALISM.
Unlike "Champagne" which is a name of a region in France, Humus, Falafel, Taboulleh etc. are not names of regions in Lebanon and were not originated specifically from the country of Lebanon.
A closer equivalent would be "Hamburger", which is named after the German city of Hamburg, but I haven't heard of any Germans trying to sue McDonnalds, Burger King etc.
Most significantly, this group in Lebanon plans to sue only Israel, and not Syria, Jordan, Egypt or any other country in Europe or America were Humus is commonly produced.
This clearly proves that the motivation for this action is not defending Humus but attacking Israel (as is the comment by the aptly named "anonymous coward" #8).
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
Re: not so funny
What is not funny at all is the fact that some people, not only in Lebanon but also on this site, can justify this lunacy. This is not food copyright - it is FOOD IMPERIALISM.
Unlike "Champagne" which is a name of a region in France, Humus, Falafel, Taboulleh etc. are not names of regions in Lebanon and were not originated specifically from the country of Lebanon.
A closer equivalent would be "Hamburger", which is named after the German city of Hamburg, but I haven't heard of any Germans trying to sue McDonnalds, Burger King etc.
Most significantly, this group in Lebanon plans to sue only Israel, and not Syria, Jordan, Egypt or any other country in Europe or America were Humus is commonly produced.
This clearly proves that the motivation for this action is not defending Humus but attacking Israel (as is the comment by the aptly named "anonymous coward" #8).
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
Re: Re: Not Infinite Goods
The name of the food is what's infinite...Lebanon's argument would almost come a little closer to holding some water if they claimed some kind of trademark violation, but copyright is just way off base.
The name of the food can't be an infinite good because it's a word, not a good. I agree that this can't be a copyright issue and only by the wildest stretch of a febrile imagination could it be considered a trademark issue.
And I don't see why Middle Eastern politics, idiot lawyers, and the concept of owning ideas can't all be contributing to this stupid situation.
You can't own an idea. You can't copyright or patent an idea. You can own and copyright the specific expression of an idea and you can patent the process or procedural expression of an idea. But that's not the situation here.
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
Re: Religious state (#43)
>> Israel 2.58 Billion"
>> They are . . . a religious state, right, or not?
Yes, and they print "In God We Trust" on each dollar they get.
Ooops, it's the USA that prints it...
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
Re: Who Do I Make this Check Out to ?
AWESOME!
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
falafel wars
I have an idea! why don't we just shoot falafel balls across the borders! It is ecological, and if the soldiers on either side are hungry they can stop and have a snack. I hope there is no pizza sold in Lebanon. They are in for a lawsuit from the Italians...
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
Re: french fries
French Fries with malt vinegar is straight from Ocean City, MD. That is Thrasher's all the way. In Quebec they eat poutine, which is gravy on fries. (My hubby is a Montrealer!)
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
My Comment
I feel so GUILTY....
Yes, its me. I took the recipe....and I won't give it back :-) :-)
Hey Lebanon, Syria and Hezbollah (who have the copyright on the TERROR) stole your whole country!
Try to stop us if you've got the (felafel) balls
Visit me: www.MeirCookBook.net
Have a nice FALAFEL
Me
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
I'm sure Israel would love to discuss food labeling with Lebanon, on one condition - that Lebanon signs a peace treaty with Israel.
Until then they can STFU.
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
Re: Re: Re: Just guessing here
But Merlot and Pinot are not becuase . . . ?
Because Merlot and Pinot Noir are grapes which can be grown anywhere.
If you made a wine from Pinot Noir in Oregon and labelled it Burgundy (or Bourgogne) then THAT would be fraudulent, along the same lines as Champagne.
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
Lebanese vs Jewish Food
Hi,
Let me start by saying I'm lebanese, and please let me say you're displaying the idea in a a silly way, and that's not the truth. I think there's a difference between someone stamping on your food and claiming it's his, and between someone "just selling". It's like saying creme brulee is Namibian. Can you? I don't think so. So please diffrentiate between "ownership" and just mere "sale".
Thx
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
Re: Lebanese vs Jewish Food
correct!!!
Israel came to Middle East few decates ago, and now everything its for Israel.lollll you're suckers and loosers!!You couldn't steal more land from the Lebanese territory, now you wanna steal our food?!?!When you're gonna stop stealing the others?!
and by the way, we kicked you ba.... sorry falafel, two years ago, suckerssssssssssssssss!
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
Falafel
So its not enought that the Europeans had to invade kill and take our land, they want to steal our culture. Falafel is as much Israeli as Spring Rolls are from Norway.
Israel is a death cult.
Peace
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
food wars
this is sheer madness. Let us all just eat, drink, and be merry!!!!
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
Food issue
This issue has been made bigger than its actual size. I personally think that Israel did a mistake (intentional or not) by adding the above list to their cuisine. The world will not change because of this issue. We have bigger problems to worry about so please spare the flames & cussing.
Now I'd like to give my 2 cents on this issue. I, like many others, like diverse cuisines. I like the Chinese Sweet n Sour, Mexican Buffalo Wings, Morrocan Coucos, French Camembert, American Pancakes, etc... Now over the years people get used to their food diet that it becomes part of their culture. For example, in Lebanon almost always in every Lebanese fast food sandwich restaurant we have the beef & chicken Shawarma. For some Lebanese they think its a Lebanese food although in fact it came from the Ottoman Empire (Turkey). Israel & Lebanon have almost the same cuisine. I know Israelis who eat the same food we eat everyday. What seems to be the problem? From Falafel to mixed grill and stew (Yakhne a Turkish word which we imported to the Arabic language) its almost the same with few exceptions on the sauce and spices.
In my opinion it is not a copyright or trademark issue. It is a cuisine listing that needs a simple clarifications. NO ONE is forcing the Israelis to stop eating tabbouleh, falafel or hommos. If Israelis like hommos then I guess we do have something in common :)
Cheers & enjoy food from all cuisines!
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
It is quite stupid - but the above mentioned foods are Lebanese... Maybe this is what they want to make known... I don't know - I'm French so it doesn't really bother me, but Lebanese food is my favorite! YUM!
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
Re: Re: Re: Just guessing here
"But Merlot and Pinot are not because... ?"
because Merlot and Pinot are grape varieties, with no indication of a country of origin, a geographical area with strong local specificities, or a fabrication method.
Even in France you can only produce Champagne within a very restricted area, leading to an end product that's linked very specificly to that area.
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
Israeli = Levant!!!
If anyone looks at a map, one will see that Israel is very close indeed to Lebanon. Who says the borders didn't change at some point? Maybe part of present-day Israel was once Lebanon, or part of present-day Lebanon was once Israel?
Saying that Israel cannot make tahina and hummus is like saying that Macedonia cannot make feta; you cannot easily distinguish between Greece and Macedonia!
In fact, the Mishnah, the primary source of all Jewish law, was written in what the Romans called "Palestine", and in what we call "Lebanon", by Rabbi Judah haNasi. Shall we say that all Jewish law is the property of the Palestinians and/or Lebanese? And the Talmud was written in Sasanid Persia - I guess the Lebanese will have to share Jewish law with Iran. Oh, but the Code of Jewish Law was written in Ottoman-ruled Israel/Palestine - sigh, I guess Turkey also owns Jewish law.
By the way, Israel calls their tahini "tahinA", in keeping with Hebrew pronunciation. English translations on Israeli-tahina use this spelling (with an "a"), so one cannot claim that Israel is using the same word. If I call my cheese "FetE", Greece cannot sue me, because only "fetA" is trademarked.
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
ahhh
ummmmm.......I like beer?
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
are you idiots kidding me?
do you realize that about 1/2 of israel's population is made up of jews from arabic or muslim countries? obviously they are going to be eating the same type of cuisine that you make in your precious lebanon.
get over it. and if you really think that you "kicked israel's ba (?)" in 2006, then i guess hezbolla's brainwashing abilities are on par with the soviets.
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
Re: copyrights
Actually the name Lebanon is the oldest name for a country in the history of mankind that is continually used ;)
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
Re: My Comment
Hey Hezballah was created as a result of the Israeli invasion of Lebanon in 1982 and the 20 year occupation of Lebanese land. Hezballah was created in 85 so NO technically it was the IDF who has copyrighted TERROR lets look up the statistics, dead Palestinians vs Israelis, dead Lebanese vs Israelis. Israeli occupied land by Lebanese 0, Lebanese land occupied by Israel 76, 82 and currently Shebaa Farms, Palestinians occupying Israeli land-0, Israelis occupying Palestinian land, 1967 and 48
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
Hummus, baba ghanouj, tabooli, fatoush are all Lebanese food, they are from the Mezze food group which is known to be Lebanese, not Turkish or Israeli. The Lebanese cuisine reflects its region which is Mediterranean...after all Lebanon is home to one of the most anicent civilizations and its current population still carries the same DNA as their Phoenician ancestors. So the food is Lebanese...
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
hahah
this was a funny article.. hahahah
Food dont belong to anyone.. its one thing to be from a special region, and another to own it.. how can someone own food?
its just stupid to even think that
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
Re: sue for burgers
you idiot, burger is american hot dog is german hummus is lebanese to make same idiot like you open book plus the english alphabetical is lebanese tooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo,,,,open a book u idiot..................
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
Re: Politics
Fuck you.. Israel is a stolen country.. stealing foods too is just rediculous.. go make your own foods mother fuckers
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
Add Your Comment