Legal moves

The Cuban tobacco monopoly, Habanos SA, is suing a US company that makes cigar cutters over the use of the word “Havana”.

It seems that when it comes to cigars, the word “Havana” and its Spanish equivalent, “Habana”, are now the legal property of Habanos, the huge conglomerate that is majority owned by the Castro regime.

In a move that could only be described as ironic, Habanos is using the American legal system to stop Xikar, the Kansas-based cigar accessories company, from using “Havana” as the name for a range of its products.

Not surprisingly, Xikar isn’t happy.

A spokesman for the company told local media they were surprised that the Castro regime would “attempt to extend its totalitarian influence to control an American company using our courts."

You can read the original court document here.