More than 4 years of capacity building, knowledge expansion, promotion, dissemination and development of tools and databases to increase legal certainty and transparency.
GIview: Search for Geographical Indications
GIview provides a single entry point for data on Geographical indications (GIs) registered in the EU.
The tool contains data such as GI type (PDO, PGI, GI), priority date, legal status, basis of protection in relation to all GIs covering wines, spirit drinks and aromatised wines, agricultural products and foodstuffs protected at EU level.
The database has more than 5 300 GIs protected in the EU and has more than 40 000 entries showing the protection of EU GIs worldwide.
It also contains detailed information on non-EU GIs protected at EU level through bilateral and multilateral agreements, and on EU GIs protected in non-EU countries.
Geographical indications are a key economic asset for the European Union, and form part of the EU-wide system of intellectual property rights. According to research by the EUIPO and the European Patent Office, industries intensive in GI rights support nearly 400 000 jobs across the EU, and contribute over €20 billion to the EU’s GDP.
Additionally, a study published by the European Commission puts the yearly sales value of GI-protected products at €74.76 billion annually, a fifth of which results from exports outside the EU.
Who is behind GIview
GIview is a project resulting from a collaboration between the European Commission (Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development (DG AGRI) and the EUIPO.
The EUIPO, in cooperation with DG AGRI, has trained and provides continuous support to the Member States’ competent authorities, allowing them to take full advantage of the tool’s capabilities by providing ‘extended data’.
GIs at the EUIPO
The EUIPO has been heavily involved in the legal aspect of GIs since 2018. As part of the cooperation with DG AGRI, the Office has undertaken important initiatives in four GI-related areas:
- GI capacity building / Assisting the Commission in the examination of GI files. The dedicated team of EUIPO GI expert examiners has examined over 1 700 GI applications so far.
- GI knowledge expansion / Awareness raising and training activities. Organisation of more than 40 webinars, seminars and workshops dedicated to GIs, including two major conferences in Alicante and Brussels.
- GI promotion and dissemination / International cooperation in promoting GI schemes. The EUIPO plays an important role in promoting GI system internationally in territories like China, India, Latin America and, more recently, Africa. Overall, more than 90 initiatives of this kind have been implemented in recent years.
- GI IT tools and databases / Development of IT tools and databases to increase legal certainty and transparency.
Craft and industrial products
On April 13, 2022, the European Commission presented the first ever EU framework to protect the intellectual property of European craft and industrial products. The framework will cover products such as Murano glass, Donegal tweed, Porcelaine de Limoges, Solingen cutlery and Boleslawiec pottery – in other words, products that rely on the originality and authenticity of traditional practices from their regions.
On March 2023 the Legal Affairs Committee of the EU Parliament adopted its position on a new scheme to ensure the geographical indication of traditional crafts is protected in the EU and globally.
The EUIPO will be in charge of evaluating and approving GI applications for such products.
