Use of the word "Leelanau" by companies marketing and producing wines in Leelanau County is permissible, a federal Appeals Court panel ruled last week.

A seven year-old legal dispute between two Leelanau County wineries was resolved on Sept. 24 when judges upheld an earlier federal court judgment in a trademark dispute between Chateau de Leelanau of Suttons Bay and Leelanau Wine Cellars of Omena.

In 2000, an owner of Leelanau Wine Cellars informed the owners of Chateau de Leelanau that their use of the word “Leelanau” as part of the name for their wine “infringes upon the exclusive rights we have to do business under the names Leelanau Wine Cellars, Ltd. and Leelanau Cellars.”

In 2001, Leelanau Wine Cellars filed suit against the company owning Chateau de Leelanau, Red & Black, Inc. In 2002, U.S. District Judge Gordon J. Quist ruled in favor of Leelanau Wine Cellars, but subsequently reversed his own decision after reconsideration. Leelanau Wine Cellars then appealed the case, resulting in another trial last year that ended in favor of Red & Black. Leelanau Wine Cellars appealed again and, last week, lost its appeal.

In 1981, the term “Leelanau Peninsula” was designated as an official “appellation of origin” for wines produced in Leelanau County. The court acknowledged that trademarks of wines produced in the county were likely to be similar, but were not likely to be confused by consumers.