Iceland supermarket location (illustration) By: Feng Qian

The government of Iceland, has filed a lawsuit against a supermarket chain that is based in the United Kingdom, claiming that the grocery store prevented companies from saying that products are made in the country of Iceland.

The government has filed the challenge with the Intellectual Property Office of the European Union.

The government claims that the Iceland supermarket chain has blocked companies from saying that their products are made in the country of Iceland, because people might confuse the two Icelands.

A spokesperson for the government said that it is absurd to prevent companies from identifying with their country of origin.

Iceland Foods, which is the parent company if the Iceland supermarket chain, has filed and won lawsuits against Icelandic companies that used the name Iceland in their products.