Scope

EU-wide protection of geographical indications has traditionally been reserved for wines, spirit drinks and other agricultural products and foodstuffs, i.e. Champagne and Prosciutto di Parma. Starting from 1 December 2025, craft and industrial goods will benefit fully from EU-wide protection of geographical indication (such as Murano-glass and Donegal-Tweed).

The Regulation also has implications for already existing Regulations on protection of geographical indications.

Relevance

The Regulation is deemed as non-relevant for EEA. It is, however, worth having knowledge of this Regulation when handling European trademark matters.

Key takeaways

This Regulation addresses the need for protection of craft and industrial products. The EU has deemed it necessary to grant protection to these types of products as they are often closely linked with specific geographical areas which again often involve specific methods of productions based on local knowledge that stretches far back in time.

Protection of geographical indications for craft and industrial products will, inter alia, help producers stay competitive in niche markets, provide consumers with better information about the authenticity of products, and boost regional economies.