Geographical Indications An Introduction 2nd Edition

This publication provides an introduction to geographical indications, explaining their basic features, use and protection as an intellectual property right. Written for non-experts, it is a starting point for readers seeking to learn more about the topic.

This book is a unique compilation of comprehensive works covering the potentials, challenges, and realities of geographical indications from an Indian perspective. The book encompasses critical studies on legal, regulatory, and institutional frameworks and debates surrounding geographical indications. The concept of geographical indication has not received paramount importance in India compared to the other forms of intellectual property rights like patents and trademarks, while GI is becoming critical in national and international discourses. It aims at presenting both national and international situations and discussions, which will appeal to readers worldwide. This book in its first part elaborately deals with the genesis of the GI Act, and then it goes on to analyze both substantive as well as procedural aspects of the registration under the Indian GI Act and tries to identify the discrepancy and gaps in the laws. Also, a comparative perspective has been built by analyzing the GI laws and regulations of some developed countries with that of India. The challenges in existing regulation for quality control and enforcement of GI products in the Indian GI Act have been dealt comprehensively by the authors which are critical in achieving the stated objectives of the Act. The book also focuses on the role of geographical indication in the socio-economic development of rural India. The authors have illustrated how the GI can act as an effective mechanism for employment generation and sustainable growth opportunities in different sectors like agriculture, food, and handicraft. The interaction of GI with traditional knowledge and biodiversity and their impact on society is also extensively covered. The book contains real-life case studies by the authors from different states of India highlighting the success stories and missed opportunities of different GIs and the way forward where the GI can function as an effective tool for the overall development of a country and promote international trade. The book will provide law students, scholars from legal and IP disciplines, legal practitioners, producers, and policymakers a factual and multidimensional insight into the GI system in India. This will further promote research in this area, particularly from an Asian perspective and enhance the real-life application of GI to varied products.

Encapsulating the most recent changes in the law, this second edition of The Protection of Geographical Indications investigates the European laws which regulate the way that geographical indications can be used in the marketing of agricultural products, food, wines and spirits. Key updates to this comprehensive second edition include two new chapters exploring the impact of Brexit and considering the protection of EU geographical indications outside Europe and of foreign geographical indications within the EU.

This important volume provides a basic understanding of the different forms of intellectual property rights in agricultural science. It provides an abundance of information on the use of IP laws in agriculture and allied subjects and their proper implementation in real-life practice. The chapter authors discuss different kinds of IP laws and their current status in developed as well as developing countries throughout the world. The protection of biological resources is crucial for food security for future generations. Biological resources are the source of several important genes. Researchers are interested in the development of plant varieties that can increase crop production, withstand dramatic climatic changes, etc. Protecting intellectual property rights in plant varieties and the rights of farmers and others are discussed in this volume. It also looks at new trends and developments in the field involving new IP strategies and the application of IP laws in agriculture and biotechnology and in the management of plant genetic resources.

For some time now, there has been conflict concerning the role in the global marketplace of certain agricultural or handcrafted products of specific geographical origin: whether they should come under trademark law (as favoured by common law countries such as the United States) or under the geographical indications (GI) system developed in France and subsequently promoted by the European Union (EU). At this moment, China is in the eye of the storm. Taking fully into account the legislative and judicial gaps in China’s compromised embrace of the GI concept, this book shows how the Chinese case brings to prominence fundamental issues relating to the functional dissimilarity between trademarks and GIs, the treatment of the terroir concept, the role of GIs in rural development, and the challenges of adopting the French and European model in other countries, especially in East Asia. Providing detailed information on how GIs are registered, protected, and managed in China, France, and the EU, the book includes such practical analysis as the following: comparison between the Chinese and European GI systems to highlight differences in essential elements for GI registration and protection; mistakes and errors arising from forcing the GI function into trademark law; the increasingly larger scope of EU GI protection, protection of collective marks containing GIs, and the extension of GI protection to handicrafts; who is responsible for the protection of each registered name and who can sue for infringement; and legislative options for future GI protection in China. Recognizing not only that GIs protect consumers against fraud and producers against unfair competition but also that the goals include the preservation of rural development, cultural heritage, and traditional knowledge, as well as environmental and ecological protection, this book provides a comprehensive reference on legal tools available for policymakers, legal practitioners, researchers, and local producers concerned with GI or trademark issues in China, France, or the EU. It will prove greatly helpful to corporate lawyers filing international registration applications and taking legal action. It will also be of inestimable value to officials in a variety of countries that are considering developing or improving systems to enhance the value of terroir products, and to academics interested in intellectual property law, trademark law, agriculture policy, GI legislation, or World Trade Organization (WTO) rules.

Over time, a product made in a specific place can develop a unique reputation. This reputation is often due to special characteristics present in the place: its people, its climate and its landscape. There are thousands of examples. In the food and drinks sector there are fruits and vegetables, wines, cheeses and cured meats: Champagne; Chedder, Parma ham and Tipperary turnips. In manufacturers there are Persian carpets, Murano glass, Toledo steel and Japanese electronics. Should all these reputations be protected by law and if so how? This book "The Law of Geographical Indications" addresses these questions. The book examines what names can and cannot be protected in national and international law and the nature of the protection given. In the last years there has been a rapid expansion of the protection given to geographical indications. The book looks at the specific systems adopted in some countries and the general systems in others. Protection is most developed in Europe and specific attention is given to the rules in the European Union and the bilateral agreements the EU has forged with many third countries. The book also examines protection in international law from the 1883 Paris Convention on the protection of intellectual property in general to the more recent TRIPs Agreement in the WTO. Also examined are the two most controversial legal issues surrounding the protection of geographical indications, namely, conflicts between trademarks and geographical indications and the generic character of certain names.

Seminar paper from the year 2010 in the subject Business economics - Offline Marketing and Online Marketing, grade: 1,0, European University Viadrina Frankfurt (Oder) (Kulturwissenschaftliche Fakultät), course: Business Culture in Mexico, language: English, abstract: Within the last decade the food industry experienced a great quality turn away from industrially produced agricultural to alternative goods labelled for example fair trade or organic farming. Geographical Indication (GI) is also one of those alternative food designations. There are various terms meeting the meaning of GI. The Spanish wine Rioja is designated with the label Denominación the Origen Controlada (DOC); the Italian cheese Parmigiono Reggiano is marked with a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) and the Mexican spirit Tequila is considered as an Appellation of Origen (AO). In this paper I am going to use Geographical Indication as generic term, since the others refer to particular protection systems of different countries. Defining the features of GIs in general, I am going to examine their functions and benefits. Comparing the use of Geographical Indications in Mexico and Germany I want to analyse, if GI products meet the needs of consumers in today’s globalized market. Drawing the final conclusion I am going to discuss possible ideas of improvement of the present GI protection systems.

This incisive book examines the role of Intellectual Property (IP) as a complex adaptive system in innovation and the lifecycle of IP intensive assets. Discussing recent innovation trends, it places emphasis on how different forms of intellectual property law can facilitate these trends. Inventors and entrepreneurs are guided through the lifecycle of IP intensive assets that commercialise human creativity. Utilising a range of sector specific, interdisciplinary and actor-focused approaches, each contribution offers suggestions on how Europe’s capacity to foster innovation-based sustainable economic growth can be enhanced on a global scale.