Week 11 Flashcards
Geographical indications. Concept of protection. Sources of law. Different types of GIs. Ways of protection.
What it is geographical indication?
1
Some geographical indications specialized legal experts distinguish three purposes for geographical words in product names:
- To communicate geographic source
- To communicate non-geographic product qualities
- To create evocative value
What is the difference between appellation of origin and geographical indication?
Appellations of origin are specific types of geographical indication. A geographical indication is a notice stating that a given product comes from a particular area. For example, the expression “Made in Switzerland” is a geographical indication: the purchaser knows that the product has come from there. An appellation of origin is a more precise geographical indication which specifies that the product in question has certain qualities and that those qualities are due essentially or exclusively to its place of origin. The underlying idea is that certain products owe their special qualities to the place that they come from. This is very common with agricultural products such as Roquefort cheese. The people who make Roquefort, say it tastes the way it does because it is matured in the caves of the Roquefort region. And it is only because it is matured in that special place that it eventually acquires the taste for which it is famous.
If you were to use the same method of cheese making in a different set of caves you would end up with a different taste, and the result would not be Roquefort cheese. The same applies to the natural conditions that influence wine growing such as climate, soils, and so on.
Basically an appellation of origin is a geographical indication that declares the quality of the goods for which it is used to be derived essentially or exclusively from the area of production.
