On 18 October 2023, the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union signed on Strasbourg the regulation establishing geographical indication (GI) protection for craft and industrial products.
This regulation extends its protection to renowned non-agricultural products such as lace, glass, natural stones, jewellery or porcelain (for example Albacete cutlery, Bohemian glass, Limoges porcelain) throughout the EU and around the world, and from the beginning it has been treated as a complement to the protection of agricultural geographical indications.
It has also been agreed that the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) will be in charge of processing new protection applications with a clear commitment to simplify the registration processes with minimal costs.
This simplified registration procedure will consist of two phases through which producers will submit their GI applications to the designated authorities of the Member States, who after the corresponding analysis, will send the applications for subsequent evaluation and approval to the EUIPO. Member States that do not have a national system may, where appropriate, request a direct registration procedure. Thus, through prior approval, producer groups from these Member States will be able to submit their applications directly to the EUIPO.
The agreement has been published in the Official Journal of the EU on October 27 and will enter into force 20 days after publication. This implies that most of the provisions of this agreement will be applicable from December 1, 2025.
Noelia Gutiérrez
Attorney at Law
