National protection of geographical indications

Geographical indications are provided legal protection in Hungary by means of national protection and by community legal protection.

Geographical indications are provided legal protection in Hungary by means of national protection and by community legal protection. In this combined system, geographical indications for agricultural products, foods, wines and other viticultural products can enjoy legal protection on a community level under Regulation (EC) No 1151/2012 of the European Parliament and Council on quality schemes for agricultural products and foodstuffs and Council Regulation (EC) No 479/2008 on the common organisation of the market in wine.

Spirits can be protected at both national and community level. Geographical indications for products not belonging to the above circle can enjoy protection provided by the Trademark Act and provide exclusive national rights to their owners.

There are two groups of geographical indications: designation of origin in terms of the law is the name of a region, specific place or, in exceptional cases, a country which is used for marking products which originate from such area—ie, products which are produced, processed or prepared in the defined geographical area—and whose exceptional quality, reputation or other characteristics are exclusively or essentially the result of the particular geographical environment and the characteristic natural and human factors of this environment.