Gruyere cheese – one of the most underwhelming subjects of the cheese kingdom – does not have to come from the Gruyere region of Europe to be sold under that name. That’s the decision of a federal judge in the US. In a statement of the blindingly obvious, Gruyères in Switzerland is ground zero for Gruyere cheese. And Swiss and French cheesemakers from the region say they have been making it to exacting standards in those parts since the early 12th century. But their claim for trademark protections from America’s Trademark Trials and Appeals Board was denied – and now it’s been rejected by the US District Court. Decades of importation, production, and sale of the cheese outside the region has eroded the meaning of the term, the judge found. They will likely find some sympathy from Kiwiland’s Manuka honey producers…