Today, IP Legal attended a conference organized by the Patent Office of the Republic of Bulgaria and the EU Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) on the occasion of the World Intellectual Property Day. The event was dedicated to Geographical Indications (GIs) and featured distinguished speakers from the Bulgarian Patent Office, as well as members of the EUIPO Board of Appeal and Mediation Center.
Amongst many issued discussed, the main topic was the ongoing reform of the GIs system in the EU. In April last year, the European Commission adopted a proposal for a Regulation on GIs for craft and industrial products to extend EU-wide protection to products such as Murano glass, Porcelaine de Limoges, Solingen cutlery, etc. The Regulation is currently being discussed between the EU Commission, Parliament and Council which are expected to reach a consensus in the months to follow. Another important topic was the new Regulation on GIs for wine, spirit drinks and agricultural products, and quality schemes for agricultural products, which is envisaged to repeal the current Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012. The EU level of registration of such GIs is now established as an exclusive regime for all EU Member States. The new regulation for wine, spirit drinks and agricultural products will most likely attribute more powers to the EUIPO in the process of registration and maintenance of GIs at the EU level.
