Andean Region Officials visit Portugal to participate in IG related activities
IP Key LA supported the participation of high-level intellectual property (IP) officials in charge of Geographical Indications (GIs) from Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador and Colombia in the Worldwide Symposium on Geographical Indications 2019 and the GI Study Visit held in Portugal between the 02nd and 06th of July.
The Symposium -organized jointly by WIPO and INPI Portugal with the support of the EUIPO- served as a venue to exchange perspectives and best practices in the area of GIs. It provided high-level officials from the Andean Region IP Offices with updated insights on GI protection and information on recent developments in the field, including the Geneva Act of the Lisbon Agreement on the Appellations of Origin and Geographical Indications (Lisbon Agreement).
The Worldwide Symposium brought together national IP authorities responsible for GIs, GI professionals, and GI producers and offered new insights on GI protection and information on recent developments in the field, including the Geneva Act of the Lisbon Agreement on the Appellations of Origin and Geographical Indications (Lisbon Agreement).
In this context, a bilateral meeting was held at the INPI Portugal offices, between EUIPO officials and the Andean delegation. Pedro Duarte, IP Key LA Project Leader, mentioned this meeting is “another important step in the sense of discussing and approaching the respective practices of trademark examination, in relation to geographical indications. This debate started with the 2018 work plan, and now with the Lisbon activity reaches a point of particular understanding and constructive debate”.
On the 5th and 6th of July, The IP Key GI Study Visit was conducted in collaboration with INPI and IP Key SEA. Andean officials visited the producers of Vinho do Porto and Arroz Carolino das Lezirias Ribatejanas, GIs protected in the EU. These producers shared production processes, control mechanisms to ensure the quality of their products, branding and marketing strategies, and overall benefits of GI protection to their communities in Lisbon and Porto.
Vinho do Porto is a wine produced from grapes grown in the Douro region while Arroz Carolino das Lezirias Ribatejanas is a Portuguese rice variety cultivated in the region of Ribatejo.
Ricardo Ferreira, IP Key LA Deputy Project Leader, highlighted that “thanks to the work coordinated with IP Key SEA and with the support of INPI Portugal, the representatives of the Andean countries were able to get familiar with the requirements, production methods, marketing and international perspectives of different IGs in Portugal,” which allowed them to gain a more practical understanding of the of the European GI protection system.
- 20 Pictures of the activities [ZIP - 4.8MB]
- 5 Pictures of the Latin America activities [ZIP - 1.3MB]