Regulation (EU) 2023/2411 on the protection of geographical indications for craft and industrial products – which had entered into force on 16 November 2023 and complemented by Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/1956 and Delegated Regulation 2025/1955 of 29 September 2025 – became fully applicable today, Monday 1st of December 2025. Groups representing iconic names, such as Murano glass, Albacete cutlery, Porcelaine de Limoges, Solingen cutlery and Sartoria Napoletana, can finally apply for GI protection through a single process covering the 27 EU Member States.
Role of oriGIn
As a global GI alliance, representing all major sectors – including crafts and industrial GIs (CIGIs) – oriGIn plays a pivotal role in this context:
- As an IP stakeholder entitled to provide the EUIPO feedback on matters concerning GIs contributes, oriGIn commented this year on the EUIPO guidelines for CIGIs. Likewise, since several years, oriGIn has been providing comments on the EUIPO TM guidelines with respect to applications potentially in conflict with GIs.
- As global platform of best-practice exchange on GIs, oriGIn connects CIGI groups with agricultural, wines and spirts ones on matters related to governance, protection, promotion, sustainability and controls.
- oriGIn helps CIGI groups prepare solid products’ specifications.
- oriGIn supports non-EU CIGI groups with specific matters concerning the protection in the EU as well as the Geneva Act.
- oriGIn helps CIGI groups integrate international cooperation projects.
- oriGIn encourages EU Member States and CIGI groups to set-up solid controls systems (matching the ones existing for wines, spirits and agricultural GIs), exploring the possibility to use existing funding opportunities at the national and EU level for that purpose.
Main features of Regulation 2023/2411
Definitions:
The requirements for a craft or industrial product’s name to qualify for protection are the following (art. 6):
- The product originates in a specific place, region or country;
- Its given quality, reputation or other characteristic is essentially attributable to its geographical origin; and
- At least one of the production steps of the product takes place in the defined geographical area.
Only the Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) scheme is provided by Regulation 2023/2411.
Registration:
The examination and registration process consists of two phases (standard procedure):
- Producers’ groups will first file their GI applications with the Member States’ designated competent authorities for national assessment.
- The national authorities will then submit successful applications for further evaluation and approval to the EUIPO, which will manage the opposition procedure at the EU level.
However, a direct application procedure to the EUIPO was made possible for CIGI producers of Denmark, Finland, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, and Sweden, countries that have obtained from the Commission a derogation from the obligation to set up a national phase. More information HERE.
Protection:
The solid level of protection provided in the EU for agricultural, wines and spirits GIs is extended to craft and industrial ones (art. 40). Moreover, art. 41 concerning the use of a protected geographical indication in manufactured products, allows such use provided that it is made in accordance with honest commercial practices and does not exploit, weaken, dilute, or is not detrimental to, the reputation of the geographical indication. Likewise, a protected geographical indication designating a part or component of a manufactured product shall not be used in the sales designation of that product, except where the applicant in whose name the geographical indication has been registered has given its consent to such use. Finally, protection extends to country-code top-level domain names (ccTLDs). Art. 46 says that registries established in the Union shall ensure that any alternative dispute resolution procedures for domain names recognise registered geographical indications as a right that can be invoked in those procedures.
Controls:
While Member States have the possibility to carry out the verification of compliance through public authorities or private control bodies, the self-declaration by producers is the solution which will apply by defaults under Regulation 2023/2411 (art. 51).
International dimension:
The EUIPO will act as the Union’s Competent Authority for craft and industrial GIs, managing the international applications in relation with the WIPO Geneva Act of the Lisbon Agreement on Appellations of Origin and Geographical Indications.
More information:
- The dedicated page of the oriGIn website.
- The EUIPO presentation at the oriGIn Biennial meeting 2023.
- The DG Grow presentation at the oriGIn Biennial meeting 2023.
- The EUIPO GI hub.
- Video of Commissioner Stéphane Séjournée: EC Audiovisual Corporate Player
