On 16 November 2023, the Regulation on GI protection for craft and industrial products (CIGIR) enters into force, twenty days after its publication in the Official Journal of the EU. This Regulation represents a crucial development in protecting the names of craft and industrial products rooted in the authenticity and traditional skills of their regions. Examples of products include Limoges porcelain, Solingen knives, Carrara marble and Madeira embroidery, among others.
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While Geographical Indication (GI) protection has long been available for agricultural products at European Union level, identifying products such as Prosciutto di Parma and Champagne, there has been no EU-wide GI protection for the names of craft and industrial products. This lack of uniform protection led to divergence in the protection of craft and industrial GIs throughout the EU. It meant that the producers had to rely on national rules in each Member State and seek different legal options to protect the names of their products against infringement. The new Regulation recognises this disparity and provides a harmonised framework for the protection of the names of these valuable EU craft and industrial products and opens the possibility for non-EU countries to obtain a uniform GI protection in the EU.
To mark the occasion, the EUIPO has launched a GI Hub to offer up-to-date information on geographical indications in the EU.
Producers of craft and industrial products identified through a registered GI will be allowed to use the official symbol of ‘protected geographical indication’ on their products. This logo will enable consumers to identify craft and industrial products with specific characteristics linked to their geographical origin, enabling them to make informed choices when purchasing these products.
The new Regulation will also support the development of Europe’s rural and other regions by providing incentives for producers, especially SMEs. It will therefore help retain unique skills, particularly in Europe’s rural and less developed regions, providing economic diversification and boosting tourism and economic recovery.
This new Regulation will facilitate the internationalisation of EU craft and industrial products by providing GI protection for EU producers in markets of non-EU countries that are Parties to the Geneva Act of the Lisbon Agreement on Appellations of Origin and Geographical Indications administered by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).
The new system will be applicable from 1 December 2025. From this date, it will be possible to apply for registration of a GI. Existing national rights will cease to exist one year after, on 2 December 2026.