Search Results for: Catalan

SPANISH cava and fine wines exporter Freixenet is stonewalling questions about reports that it could be on the verge of acquiring a bodega in the Rías Baixas area of Galicia, northwest Spain.

“We neither confirm nor deny this,” Freixenet spokeswoman Marta Raventos told just-drinks after Spanish-language drinks and food newsletter Alimarket suggested that the privately-held Catalan firm could soon re-establish a winemaking presence of its own in the area.…

BY ROBERT STOKES

GRUPO Planeta, Spain’s foremost publishing and media group, has started distributing its entire Spanish language catalogue through Apple España’s iBookstore.

e-books from 24 of Planeta’s imprints can now be downloaded via iPad, iPhone, iPod touch and www.itunes.es

Leading Spanish and international authors feature among more than a thousand digital titles.…

BY PAUL RIGG

THE DIRECTOR of Spanish e-book platform Libranda has welcomed an announcement at LIBER, the international book fair for the Spanish speaking world, that Spain’s ruling socialists plan to "super-reduce" e-book IVA [VAT] to 4%. The announcement came from Alfredo Rubalcaba, who is the socialists’ candidate to become prime minister in the upcoming Spanish elections next month.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

CATALAN sparkling wine producer Freixenet SA has failed to persuade the European Court of Justice (ECJ) to permit the pan-European trademarking of its classic frosted glass bottle (in black and white). This case focused on whether judges thought the design was sufficiently distinctive and famous across Europe for it to attract trademark rights preventing other drinks producers aping this bottle.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

AS Barack Obama wrestles with the challenge of pushing healthcare reform through the US Congress, he could create political capital by highlighting the need to fight fraud in the sector. Keith Nuthall reports.

IT is something of a sacred cow.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

CATALAN wine producer Castell del Remei has lost a case at the European Court of Justice (ECJ) Court of First Instance where it has been trying to gain approval for registering a trademark ‘Castell del Remei ODA’. This has been opposed by Rioja producer Bodegas Roda, which has claimed rights to the trademark ‘RODA’, and which it fears would be confused with Castell del Remei’s ‘ODA’.…

BY ALAN OSBORN

Fact box – Andorra

Population of country: 76,875 (2004)

Number of students enrolled at university: 718

Percentage of students native to the country where the university is located: 60%

Percentage of eligible population attending university: 10% (see text)

INTERNVIEW

IT’S something of a surprise to find that a country as small as Andorra has its own university, and perhaps easy to be a little patronising about it.…

BY ALAN OSBORN
TINY, mountainous and very very friendly to rich people with plenty of cash to stash away, Andorra ought to be a money launderer’s paradise. On balance, anti money laundering people say that it is not, though the relentless culture of secrecy about financial matters makes this impossible to say with certainty.…