Serafin de Cuba Cigars, a small cigar shop and factory located in Tarpon Springs, FL, has been dedicated to revitalizing defunct Tampa cigar brands, including the classic La Floridana—a Tampa brand established in the late 1800s by Cuban Cigar Maker Emilio Pons, meaning “The Floridian girl” in English.

Recently, the company observed that Fratello Cigars had introduced a brand named “La Floridan.” In an effort to address potential trademark infringement, Serafin de Cuba Cigars reached out to Fratello Cigars’ owner, Omar de Frias. However, receiving no response, Serafin de Cuba Cigars took the matter to the US Trademark office, which subsequently cancelled Fratello’s trademark. (A quick search in the trademark database shows that the La Floridan trademark is live and has not been cancelled at all).

Arnaldo Serafin, owner of Serafin de Cuba Cigars, released a statement regarding the infringement, expressing frustration and a commitment to defending his brand. He stated, “After much time and countless letters and conversations over more than a year, I am now letting everyone know that one of my trademarked brands of cigars has been copied, and a knockoff version called ‘La Floridan’ has been made. We have no affiliation with this other brand or company (Fratello Cigars). The US trademark office cancelled this other company’s application due to the likelihood of confusion with my brand.” Cigarinspector.com searched the trademark database, the trademark has not been cancelled unlike the claims of Arnaldo Serafin.

Serafin emphasized his ownership of the federal trademark for his brand and asserted his determination to defend it against knockoffs. He criticized the other company for showing a disregard for intellectual property and ethical practices. Despite attempts to resolve the issue privately, Serafin chose to bring it to social media to inform the public about the situation. Additionally, letters were sent to ABC Liquors, informing them of their engagement with a trademark-infringed product.

Ironically, Serafin de Cuba had previously revived the old Cuban brand El Principe de Gales earlier in the year. However, some controversy arose as Serafin de Cuba appeared to have copied artwork from the Cuban Hoyo de Monterrey instead of using the old artwork of El Principe de Gales, raising questions about trademarks and copyrights in the context of their own practices, and the strong words over showing a disregard for intellectual property and ethical practices.