Proposal for new European regulations on the protection of geographical indications

Abstract

This article gives an overview of the history of the European protection of geographical indications (GI) for agricultural products and of the new proposals replacing the rules in force and introducing the new GI system for craft and industrial products. There is currently no European GI protection for craft and industrial products. The community protection of GIs of agricultural products and foodstuffs were introduced in 1992 and for wine and spirits in 2008.  In 2022 the Commission started the negotiation of a new proposal regulating GIs of agricultural products, wine and spirits. This proposal strengthens the existing system, simplifying the registration procedure, increasing the protection for goods sold on the internet, and introducing new rules for the protection of GIs in the domain name system. The proposal regulates the technical assistance by EUIPO as well.