In the framework of the debate on non-agricultural GIs in the EU, the European Commission has recently published the “Study on enforcement and control rules for geographical indication (GI) protection for non-agricultural products in the EU”. The full version of the Study can be consulted here.
Based on desk research, stakeholder interviews and an electronic survey conducted for a research sample of 30 real-life products (from several EU Member States and non-EU countries), six existing protection systems have been investigated with respect to their control and enforcement mechanisms, with a case study produced for each system:
- EU collective marks;
- EU certification marks;
- National certification marks;
- National sui generis geographical indication (GI) protection of non-agricultural products;
- EU sui generis GI protection of agri-food and drink products;
- Protection systems in non-EU countries.
These protection systems have been compared and analysed with regard to their effectiveness, cost-efficiency and relevance. Three models for control and enforcement under a potential EU-wide system for the protection of non-agricultural geographically rooted products have also been developed, each of them with a different degree of involvement of public authorities.
oriGIn will keep monitoring the debate at the EU level, with the objective to facilitate the establishment of a EU system for the recognition and protection of non-agricultural GIs with the following characteristics:
- Requiring the proof of a solid link between the products (whose names are the object of a request of protection) and their geographical area;
- Providing simple and transparent procedures;
- Not creating confusion with the existing European GIs systems.
For more information on the EU debate on non-agricultural GIs, please consult the dedicated webpage of our website.
