Duplicate brands

[trying]

Just wondering about the brands which have duplicate/mimic non cuban brands...

Anyone know how these came about, coexist and survive?

[PeeJay]

You really need to learn how to use the search function [MENTION=13442960]trying[/MENTION] but to keep it brief, most of them are Cuban owners who fled the island when Castro nationalised all the companies and took their names with them. They have been since assimilated into the big American tobacco companies and mainly supply the vast American market where there is no competition from their Cuban namesakes.

[grumpybaldy]

Picking-up on the American market point: I know there's been some discussion here in the past on the likely impact on availability and pricing of CC as the huge US market gradually opens up (assuming it continues to with does with The Donald), but where's the clever money - for example, the UK cigar trade - sitting on this now (accepting it's still crystal ball time)?

[trying]

You really need to learn how to use the search function @trying

Apologies, this being a discussion forum I was interested to discuss.

[PeeJay]

Apologies, this being a discussion forum I was interested to discuss.

No problem buddy, woke up irritable with a cold today

[tippexx]

You really need to learn how to use the search function @trying but to keep it brief, most of them are Cuban owners who fled the island when Castro nationalised all the companies and took their names with them. They have been since assimilated into the big American tobacco companies and mainly supply the vast American market where there is no competition from their Cuban namesakes.

Correct. But doesn't quite explain the ripping-off of the post-Revolution brand names. Cohiba. Trinidad.

[PeeJay]

Hence the use of the word 'most'. Cohiba is an interesting one. The General Cigar Company registered it as a trade name in 1978 despite the Cubans already using it domestically. Cohiba cigars from Cuba weren't released for general sale unti 1982. Its been a copyright battle for a while now.
I couldn't find anything about Trinidad except that production started in 1969 but they weren't sold to the publci until 1998 so it could be a similar case.

[Niela]

I saw an interesting documentary a while ago. Apparently H. Uppmann is a brand that was owned by a German family in Bremen. They produced cigars in Cuba I think, but when WW2 broke out, the embargo ruined the business. And when Castro took over Cuba they somehow lost the rights to the name as well.

BUT, somehow there is this old fella, who's the last in the family line and he was still selling his own cigars under the Upmann brand. I forgot how it worked legally, but from the looks of it, he has a few loyal customers that order from him via phone. It's not the Cuban Upmanns and I don't know where they come from or if that whole operation is still going. (he looked very old and very sick) But it would be awesome to try one of them, just as a novelty.

PS: Just had a look, they have a website, but it's under construction... so who knows...