Geert schreef:En wanneer hebben die 2 fameuze knechten de echte Pierre Ferrand een serieuze loer gedraaid?
Ben ook al een tijdje bezig met deze vraag. Heb daar nog geen helder antwoord op gevonden. Op Franse bronnen vind je er sowieso weinig over. De oogst aan informatie tot nu toe:
Torula News van 14 juli 1999
Torula News schreef: Can they take my name away or can I have a cake and eat it too?
When the name becomes a synonym for a product it appears that they can. But it must be recognized that once you trade mark a product that includes your name, you have to be prepared to lose it. That is the case of Pierre Ferrand, the true and the original Pierre Ferrand. Since signing the fateful documents some 8 years ago with his then employees, Alexandre Gabriel and Jean Dominique Andreu, Pierre Ferrand whose Cognacs are legendary around the world, lost the right to use his name. When you drive up to his place in La Nérolle, it says Pierre de Segonzac. It is a truly cautionary tale of good intentions gone badly wrong.
The ongoing, for the past 5 years, court battle promises to be settled next year (27/09/2000). The stakes are high, both for the players involved and for the consumer. It is the latter who has suffered as the confusion of who is who and who does what, is still evident in the market.
When the problems with the partnership surfaced, no one from the Cognac industry raised a finger; not BNIC, not the various producer groupings (syndicat) nor the local authorities. And when the case was last time heard in courts, only Olivier Blanc and Pascal Fillioux, Cognac producers and we might add competitors to both, contributed in solidarity with the true and original Pierre Ferrand.
But, there is hope amid continuing allegations and rumors. The customer will decide if the quality of Cognac Pierre Ferrand is what it supposed to be. And Pierre de Segonzac, the original Pierre Ferrand, who continues to have around 20% interest in Ferrand Sarl, now controlled by Gabriel & Andreu should have the right to sell his products under a different name like Pierre de Segonzac. But it must be noted that the original Pierre Ferrand is retired, has no vineyards and his stock is limited. (vet en onderstreept door Hans) Again this can be overcome as the family Ferrand was one of the founding members of Unicoop.
Jean Dominique Andreu told Torula News: " I love the man, It is a pity that business went so wrong.".
So, we say: "Let’s bury the hatchet" and let Gabriel&Andreu use the original Pierre Ferrand as an Ambassador of Cognac Pierre Ferrand. Finally, he is a shareholder in Ferrand Sarl. Many of the true Cognac aficionados around the world, want to drink one Pierre Ferrand product. Without the beret and his smiling face there can be no other Cognac Pierre Ferrand. In the meantime, a T-shirt with "The original Pierre Ferrand" text has become a collectors item. A poor substitute for excellent products. And all can share more of the cake.
Torula News schreef:But it must be noted that the original Pierre Ferrand is retired, has no vineyards and his stock is limited.
Hier spreken verschillende bronnen elkaar tegen. Op de meeste plaatsen wordt beweerd, dat Pierre Ferrand de oude voorraden en wijngaarden grotendeels heeft behouden en alleen het recht op het voeren van zijn naam als merknaam heeft verloren.
Torula News van 25 september 2000
Torula News schreef: Decision day for Pierre Ferrand
On Wednesday, the 27 September at 14:00 in the 4th Chambre A de la Cour d'Appel de Paris decision will be rendered in the long running legal woes of Pierre Ferrand vs. Gabriel&Andreu.
De feitelijke uitspraak (Arrêt du 27 septembre 2000, Cour d'Appel de Paris 4ème chambre section A) heb ik nog niet kunnen vinden. Daarin zou de precieze boedelverdeling moeten staan (beide partijen claimen de oude voorraden te hebben). Heb allerlei Franse jurisprudentie-sites afgestruind, suggesties zijn welkom.
Overigens zijn de heren Gabriel en Andreu niet gestopt met ruzie maken nadat ze Pierre Ferrand hebben "kaltgestellt":
Cognac World van 11 januari 2008
Cognac World schreef:Ferrand cognac in difficulty
The Ferrand cognac house is suffering the full effects of the conflict between its two shareholders : A. Gabriel and J.-D. Andrieu. In less than 18 months about twenty employees have left. The company has just lost a large contract with Russia and it also lost its customs bond on 15 December. In 2006, Ferrand had a turnover of almost 30 million euros.
Uiteindelijk heeft meneer Gabriel "gewonnen":
Cognac World van 15 oktober 2008
Cognac World schreef:Conflict settled at Cognacs Ferrand.
The conflict between shareholders at the Ferrand cognac house in Ars is over : A. Gabriel is now alone at the head of the company. A rescue plan is to be put forward soon with recapitalisation scheduled.
Aanvullingen zijn welkom.
