GI extension moves closer in EU
A European Parliament committee has said that the EU should recognise non-agricultural products under the geographical indication (GI) system.
In a decision yesterday, September 15, the Legal Affairs Committee said GI protection should be extended without delay. The vote was approved unanimously, with three abstentions.
Currently GIs in the EU are reserved only for food and beverage products, including Champagne and Stilton cheese. If the changes are approved GI protection would be extended to products including the Laguiole, a French pocket knife, and Scottish tartan.
GI status illustrates that a product comes from a certain area and is made in a specific way with strict rules on its production.
The committee-approved text, a non-legislative resolution, will now go to the European Commission for a debate, which may precede a full commission proposal and vote. A vote has been preliminary scheduled for October 6.
Rapporteur Virginie Rozière said after the committee’s vote: “I welcome the support of the Legal Affairs Committee. This is a first step towards a European protection of European know-how.”
Guy Wilmot, partner at law firm Russell-Cooke in London, said that this “first step forward” would be a big boost for businesses which rely on their reputation as manufacturers of locally sourced, quality goods.
“Soon Scottish tartan, for example, could have the same protection as the Melton Mowbray pork pie or Champagne; across the EU more than 800 products have been identified as likely to benefit from this change.”
He added: “From a business perspective, the benefits of protected GIs are clear—often these famous products are copied and sold as genuine by other companies. They also serve the purpose of putting a region on the map, boosting investment and sometimes tourism too.”
But Wilmot added that there could be challenges from an intellectual property perspective.
“There may be businesses which have trademarked regional terms but do not pass the quality or regional tests required to have GI protection.
“If the history of GI protection for food products is any guide then deciding which products obtain protection and which do not is going to be a fraught political process.”
