Part One of this Outstanding Video Interview

Michael Gladis plays the pipe smoking copywriter, “Paul Kinsey” on AMC TV’s, Award Winning, Mad Men. Not only does his character Paul smoke a pipe on screen, but Mr. Gladis smokes a pipe in real life.

PipesMagazine.com Editor & Publisher, Kevin Godbee sat down with Michael Gladis in the private smoking lounge at Davidoff of Geneva in midtown Manhattan on November 14, 2009. They talked about pipe smoking, his role on Mad Men, and his acting career in general. Michael is charming, friendly, and witty while he enjoys smoking his pipe and giving us the inside scoop on Mad Men and telling us how he is similar to Paul Kinsey. See Part I of our video interview with Michael Gladis here and see if you can get the trivia question right at the end.

Watch Part One of Kevin Godbee’s Interview by CLICKING HERE

Cubatabaco Wins Longstanding Battle

By Jonathan Perlow, Courthouse News Service

(CN) – A Cuban government-owned tobacco company won its 12-year legal battle to stop a U.S. cigar producer from using the Cohiba name and trademark in the United States. A federal judge in Manhattan once again backed up Cubatabaco, which accused General Cigar of “exploiting the reputation and goodwill of the Cuban Cohiba.”

Cohibas are among the world’s most famous and sought-after cigars, and were originally produced exclusively for Fidel Castro.

U.S. District Judge Robert W. Sweet barred General Cigar from using the Cohiba name in the United States, but allowed it to keep using the name on its Dominican-made cigars, pending appeal.

Judge Sweet said his most recent opinion was “nearly identical” to his previous finding that General Cigar Holdings had tried “to plagiarize the mark” and engaged in “intentional copying.”

His decision was reversed by the 2nd Circuit, which dismissed the federal claims, saying the embargo between the two countries barred the Cuban company from acquiring property in the United States, including trademarks.

The U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear the case.

But when New York’s highest court clarified its position on what constituted unfair competition, Cubatabaco’s state law case was back on. The New York Court of Appeals found that “bad faith” wasn’t necessary to prove unfair competition by appropriation, only that “deliberate copying” had taken place.
Cubatabaco argued that on the cusp of the 1992 cigar boom, General Cigar selected the “Cohiba” name for a new line of premium cigars “in order to exploit the reputation and goodwill of the Cuban Cohiba,” according to the ruling.

Judge Sweet agreed, and said the U.S. company’s choice was “in part to capitalize on the success of the Cuban Cohiba brand and especially the good ratings and notoriety that it had received in Cigar Aficionado,” a magazine for cigar enthusiasts.

The debut issue of the magazine proclaimed Cohibas to be Cuba’s finest cigars, in an article called “The Legend of Cohiba.”

Cubatabaco further claimed that the Cohiba name was protected under the Lanham Act by the “well-known marks” doctrine, even though the company held no U.S. trademarks.

Judge Sweet agreed that this was the case, but said Cubatabaco’s challenge of the Cuban Asset Control Regulations was obsolete after the state court’s ruling.

“The New York Court of Appeals held that plaintiff could be entitled to relief against use of its foreign mark if it could establish deliberate copying and secondary meaning, even though the plaintiff had no U.S. trademark rights,” Sweet wrote.

“For certain kinds of cases … goodwill can, and does, cross state and national boundary lines.”

The lifestyle reserved for the elite of the cigar world is now available to everyone! For 5-days and 4-nights the Los Blancos Cigars “Roll’n’Smoke Tour” will open the doors of the world’s top cigar factories in Nicaragua and Honduras as you follow the making of a cigar from field to box. Drink morning coffee fresh from the plantation and world-class rum all night in a tropical climate where cigar smoking is not only allowed, it’s encouraged. Whether you’re a connoisseur or just enjoy an occasional cigar, this tour is a celebration of the good life!

Los Blancos Cigars and Worth Living Tours are offering the “Roll’n’Smoke Tour,” a full-access cigar tour of Nicaragua and Honduras open to the general public. In five days, clients will tour tobacco farms and curing barns, three top cigar factories, the largest tobacco processing facility in Central America, and even a cigar box factory, all while enjoying $175 worth of fine Los Blancos cigars. The tour includes all ground transfers, four nights accommodations, seven meals, English speaking guide from Los Blancos Cigars, a custom blended cigar, and a rum and cigar pairing evening. Because the tour goes through working factories, the group size is limited to only 10 people per tour, once a month.

With the motto “A band for every man”, the “Roll’n’Smoke Tour” offers something for everyone. The cigar connoisseur will enjoy the in-depth, hands-on access to every step of the cigar making process. The occasional smoker will get to experience a wide selection of cigars while learning how they’re made, increasing their palate and appreciation for their variety and complexity. The infrequent cigar smoker will enjoy a week of good food, good drink, good cigars, and good friends on a unique and memorable tour that’s a perfect vacation for any celebration.

This level of access has always been reserved for suppliers, buyers, and select journalists. “I’ve been taking people from inside the cigar industry on this program for years, we’re excited that everyone can now experience this,” says David Blanco of Los Blancos Cigars. “And we’ve been trying to set up a cigar tour for over a year,” says Ted Reinhard of Worth Living Tours, “but it’s impossible to open the doors of a cigar factory to clients when we couldn’t get as much as a foot in.” Even with the assistance of the Honduran and Nicaraguan governments, the factories and facilities remained impenetrable fortresses. Everything changed with a fortunate meeting at a local cigar shop. “Los Blancos Cigars has a great reputation for quality, they’re a US company so they care about the US market, and they’ve got roots that run deep in the cigar industry,” Reinhard says.

The Blanco family and their cousins, the Plasencia family, can trace their roots in the tobacco industry back to Cuba’s western-most province of Pinar del Rio. Today the Plasencias are one of the preeminent tobacco families in the industry, running farming and manufacturing operations in Danlí, Honduras and Estelí, Nicaragua. According to David Blanco, “Teaming up with Ted’s operation was just the opportunity we’ve been looking for to really open up the industry to the cigar smoker and beyond.” With an A+ reliability rating from the Better Business Bureau and over a decade of experience in operating tours in North Africa, Eastern Europe, and South America, Worth Living Tours (and its parent company Intrepid Global) are known for crafting new and unique programs. “With all the places I’ve traveled while setting up new programs, this trip was one of the most enjoyable I’ve ever had. I’m proud to be working with Los Blancos Cigars and very excited about sharing this with others,” says Reinhard.

Contact: Ted Reinhard • Worth Living Tours

www.WorthLivingTours.com . cigars@worthlivingtours.com

837-A N. Keene Rd . Clearwater, FL 33755

Phone (800) 536-1411 . Fax (727) 443-7595