I can't believe the lack of common sense...

Champagne is a region, the wine made in that region is called champagne.. It's so easy and simple..

Valpolicella is a region, wine made in that region is called valpolicella.

Chianti is a region, wine made in that region is called chianti.

Cotes du Rhone is a region, wine made in that region is called cotes du Rhone.

Now, someone thinks that to his taste champagne and American sparkling wines are the same and so he pretends to call American sparkling wines "champagne". Just because he said so.

Where is the common sense? Would you call the Alps, "Rocky Mountains", just because once, while you were skiing in St Moritz, you thought there was a similar slope in Aspen? And then pretend that it's only lawyers that prevent people from calling the Alps "Rocky Mountains"?

Wines made in champagne are called champagne, not because lawyer said so, but because they are made in that region with grapes from that region.

If you make a sparkling wine in Napa you can call it Napa Sparkle, or however you like, but why on earth would you call it with a name of a region of France thousands of miles away?