On 18 September 2012, oriGIn published its latest handbook :“Protecting the Geographical Indications in Emerging Economies (Brazil, Russia, India and China – BRICs Countries)”.
The handbook describes in a pragmatic way the legal instruments available to protect geographical Indications (GIs) in some of the most dynamic markets in the world. While a truly international registry for GIs is still lacking, protecting GIs in third countries according to national rules and procedures – and in particular in the most important product’s export markets – is a priority and a challenge for producers’ groups. A priority in terms of benefiting from effective instruments to fight the increasing risks of product’s imitation and counterfeiting; a challenge with respect to the obstacles which a different linguistic and legal context might generate. Our latest handbook is a comprehensive response to these issues and represents a practical instrument for producers’ groups willing to protect and commercialize the GIs they represent in Brazil, Russia, India and China.
The authors of this manual are: Mr. Giorgio Bocedi, lawyer and founder of GB Avvocati, a law firm specialized in intellectual property and food law, Reggio Emilia (Italy); Mr. Federico Desimoni, lawyer, food law expert, in-house legal counsel and Vice-Director of the “Consorzio del Prosciutto di Parma” (Italy); and Mr. Richard Mendelson, lawyer at Dickenson, Peatman & Fogarty in Napa, California, (USA) and Professor on wine law and geographical indications at the University of California, Berkeley School of Law, where he directs the Program on Wine Law and Policy.
The handbook was presented in Geneva on October 4 at a side-event jointly organised by oriGIn and the Mission of Italy to the United Nations within the framework of the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) General Assemblies.
