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The European Parliament has adopted a regulation on the use of geographical indications by a large majority. This reform aims to better protect geographical indications offline and online, give their producers more powers and simplify the registration process. The EU Parliament explained this in a statement. Domain names that illegally use geographical indications are to be switched off or access to them deactivated with the help of geo-blocking. To this end, the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) will set up a domain name alert system.
If a product contains an ingredient with a geographical indication, it may only be named in the future if the processed quantity gives it an "essential characteristic". In this case, no other ingredient may be used that would be comparable to it.. The percentage of the ingredient must also be stated on the label.
In addition to a simplified procedure for the registration of geographical indications, a fixed deadline of six months has been set for the examination of new geographical indications.
According to the EU Parliament, the new rules are intended to give producers the opportunity to "prevent or combat commercial practices that damage the image and value of their products, including derogatory marketing practices and price reductions". The name of the producer must appear "in the same field of vision as the geographical indication on the packaging". As soon as the European Council formally adopts the regulation, it will be published in the Official Journal of the EU and will enter into force 20 days later.
(al / source: vitisphere)