A geographical indication is a sign used for products that have a specific geographical origin and whose qualities, reputation, and characteristics are essentially due to their place of origin.
To constitute a geographical indication, a sign must identify a product as originating in a specific place. Furthermore, the qualities, characteristics, or reputation of the product must be essentially due to the place of origin. Since the qualities depend on the geographical place of production, there is a clear link between the product and its original place of production.
Today we will talk a little about its function and how to obtain a geographical indication.
What is a geographical indication for?
The geographical indication serves mainly to promote a product that is part of the heritage of a country or region since it includes in the protection the place of production, the techniques developed by the producers over time, the prestige that it may have gained in the market and the price that is recognized as a result of its quality.
Consequently, the geographical indication allows the generation of value in the geographical areas that have a protected product, through increased production, which contributes to generating more employment; and the increase in the value of the lands as a result of the greater prestige and demand for the protected product. This benefits all producers who are affiliated as users of the geographical indication, contributing to an improvement in their economic income.
How is the GI constituted?
The GI is constituted by the name of a country, a region, locality, or specific place where natural, geographical, climatic, telluric, topographic, or human factors converge that make a product have special characteristics.
How do you get GI protection?
The protection of GI as property subject to domain rights, in the case of Singapore, is obtained through the declaration of protection by the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS).
What protection does the declaration provide?
The protection of the declaration of the GI is determined by the subsistence of the conditions that motivated the decision of its declaration and only ceases to take effect through another administrative act issued by the IPOS.
The declaration of protection grants the right to exclusive use by producers, manufacturers, and artisans of the locality or region evoked by said GI; that meet the requirements for the product to have the special characteristics and include the power to prevent unauthorized third parties from using the similarly confusing sign or signs for the same goods or those competitively connected.