On March 1, the China-EU Geographical Indications Agreement officially came into effect. The entry into force of the agreement provides intellectual property protection for my country's geographical indication products to enter the European Unio, and provides treaty guarantees for related products to "go global", which is welcomed by the industry.
Geographical indications are signs that identify the origin of a product in a certain region, and the quality and reputation of the product depend on the natural and human factors of this specific region, such as "Pu'er tea" in my country and "Champagne" in the European Unio. Both China and the European Unio have rich resources of geographical indications. In order to strengthen the protection and cooperation of geographical indications and promote the trade of geographical indication products, the two sides initiated negotiations on the China-EU Geographical Indications Agreement in 2011. In September last year, the two sides formally signed the agreement.
After the agreement came into effect, it has brought tangible benefits to enterprises, people and related industries in China and Europe.
First of all, my country's first batch of 100 geographical indications will be protected by law in the EU market. Among the 100 geographical indications, there are not only products that have been exported to the EU, such as Wuyuan green tea, Turpan raisins, Pu'er coffee, etc., but also products that may have export potential to the EU, such as Yantai apples, Anyue lemons, and Shaoxing wine. In addition, the agreement also included my country's second batch of 175 geographical indications, which will be protected within four years.
At the same time, my country's relevant geographical indication products have the right to use the EU official signs. This is also the first time that the European Unio has adopted an international treaty to allow holders of foreign geographical indications to use their official signs. The affixation of the official EU geographical indication sign means that the reputation of the product has been recognized by the EU, which is conducive to the recognition of related products of our country by overseas consumers, enhance the popularity, promote the development of the industry, and open up the international market.
In the agreement, China also promised to provide legal protection for relevant geographical indications in the European Unio. This commitment is conducive to eliminating the worries of EU GI holders, so that they can export related products to my country with confidence, so that our consumers can enjoy more high-quality products of the EU.
In particular, it needs to be pointed out that for products that have been included in the China-EU Geographical Indication Agreement, the agreement also brings benefits to related companies and is more conducive to promoting the development of related industries.
From the perspective of cost saving, through the agreement, China and Europe mutually recognize each other's geographical indications, and related geographical indication products can be protected by the EU. Geographical indication holders do not need to apply for the EU on their own, saving companies a large amount of international travel expenses and hiring lawyers, as well as labor costs.
At the same time, companies will also be protected by treaties. The geographical indications involved in the agreement are not only protected by law, but problems can also be solved through the bilateral mechanism established by the treaty, so that the legal rights of the relevant geographical indication holders are double protected. In addition, after the China-EU Geographical Indications take effect, China and the EU will establish a joint committee to better implement the agreement. It is understood that the Ministry of Commerce, the State Intellectual Property Office, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs and other departments will actively communicate with the EU to promote the formation of relevant guidelines for the protection of geographical indications in the EU.
In short, the parties concerned should firmly grasp the benefits brought by the China-EU Geographical Indications Agreement, actively develop their own distinctive geographical indication products, promote the development of related industries, and continuously expand overseas markets to provide new impetus for the development of China-EU economic and trade cooperation.
(Source: Economic Daily)
