Forbes on Kobe Beef (and Champagne)

[Sheilbh]

God I hate non-champagne socialists

[Fireblade]

God I hate non-champagne socialists

What are your feelings on hillbilly whiskey socialists?

[Sheilbh]

God I hate non-champagne socialists

What are your feelings on hillbilly whiskey socialists?

I think we should protect your important cultural patrimony

[Ideologue]

God I hate non-champagne socialists

Isn't the real socialism to let anyone use the name?

[garbon]

But you aren't really. What you are actually doing is vaunting up the product of a particular region / group of growers and saying the gov't feels that this product is so distinct as to deserve it's own name.  Rather than opening up the choice (as you've established that anyone who doesn't get the same label isn't worthy of it), ostensibly, you've set up an agency that tells individuals what is truly "better"...when all you've really told them is that said makers have a really good lobbyists and lawyers.

Vaunting up? 

Anyhow, you think it'd be acceptable for someone to start up a series of colleges (or a business school) and call them Stanford, Yale and Harvard and hand out diplomas and certificates that are similar to the ones that the more established institutions hand out?

The first part is silly.  Obviously that's a fraud, and in any event the proper analogy would be an individual champagne-maker labeling their products with the same brand name of another, better champagne-maker.

As for the second part--juris doctor (® Harvard Law School, 1890-2012)?

I like the analogy I made better.

[Duque de Bragança]

Swedish meatballs.

Swedish Lutefisk ?

[The Minsky Moment]

Alternatively, the Champagne Houses could create brands of sparkling wines, and get know for quality by brand

You mean like Moet, Taittinger, Veuve, Perrier-Jouet etc?  Dom Perignon.  Cristal. 
The champagne houses are among the most recognizable brands in the wine world.

[grumbler]

Alternatively, the Champagne Houses could create brands of sparkling wines, and get know for quality by brand

You mean like Moet, Taittinger, Veuve, Perrier-Jouet etc?  Dom Perignon.  Cristal. 
The champagne houses are among the most recognizable brands in the wine world.

Sorry.  I guess I need to make my sarcasm less subtle.