And you think U.S. courts are stupid

Italy — and the European Commission — had filed suit against Germany on grounds that the German legal system wasn’t enforcing EU rules that “Parmesan” could only be used as an appellation for cheese made in the Parma region of Italy. Well, the European Court of Justice says such a legal crackdown inside Germany isn’t Germany’s responsibility:

While the ECJ ruled that only cheeses bearing the EU’s protected designation of origin, or PDO, of “Parmigiano Reggiano” could be sold under the name “Parmesan,” it said the responsibility of monitoring compliance was not down to Germany.

“Since the Commission has not established that the German legal system does not sufficiently protect the PDO ‘Parmigiano Reggiano,’ the infringement proceedings against Germany are dismissed,” the ECJ said in a statement.

I guess the ruling means that Italy and the EU, if they haven’t done already, can sue the German government in the German federal court system. That said, the EU’s appellation system is touchy, anyway. Czechoslovakia, and the town of Pilsen, could file beaucoup lawsuits.