MADRID (AP) — Don Quixote's role in Spanish cheese sales has merited a ruling by the European Union Court of Justice.

The court issued its opinion in a Spanish case over the labelling of the country's famous manchego cheese.

The cheese is from Spain's La Mancha, where the 17th-century novel "Don Quixote de La Mancha," by Miguel de Cervantes, is set. Under EU law, only cheese from that region can be called "queso manchego."

But a producer in a different region used on its labels illustrations allegedly depicting Don Quixote, his skinny horse and countryside with windmills.

The court said Thursday that such images can trigger associations with the protected product in a shopper's mind. It didn't say whether the images were unlawful, but told Spain's Supreme Court that is hearing the case they might be.