Table of Contents
Who can apply for protection for a geographical indication?
Protection can be requested by a group of producers of the product identified by the geographical indication. The producers may be associated, in the form of a cooperative or an association that represents them and guarantees that the product meets certain criteria that they have set or accepted. Protection may also be requested by a competent national authority (e.g. a local authority).
Who can use a protected geographical indication?
The right to use a protected geographical indication belongs to those who are active as producers in the geographical region indicated and who comply with the specific production conditions for the product, set out in a specification.
Who grants protection for a geographical indication?
The procedure for registering a geographical indication takes place in two stages, the first at national level and the second at European level. The producer group's application is submitted to the relevant national (or regional) authority. Once this application has been validated at national level, the registration moves on to a European phase, at the end of which protection by geographical indication is granted by the EUIPO (for craft and industrial products) or by the European Commission (for agricultural products). The involvement of the national authorities in the first phase enables the local and regional expertise needed to assess the specifications to be exploited, and also enables local producers, who are often SMEs, to communicate and interact with the national administration and receive advice in their own language.
