Geographical Indication Definition
What is a Geographical Indication, Designation of Origin and Traditional Speciality Guaranteed?
Geographical indication and designation of origin is an industrial property right describing a product originated from any region or attributable to any region due to its quality, reputation or other characteristics.
Fruit, stone, mine of any region may be different from those in the other regions or any carpet, rug, fabric, tile etc. may have attained reputation for whatsoever is the reason. Use of the name of the region with such products may be perceived by the consumers as their distinctive features from those with similar nature. The consumers may prefer the products sold with the name of such regions in lieu of the other products due to the fact that they rely on the name of the region.
In this context, geographical indications and designations of origin are dimensioned in the manner that they are shaped, packaged, purchased and sold through the traditional knowledge and they are the signs of guarantee evidencing the quality of the product, traditional production method and geographical origin.
Protected designation of origin (PDO)
Product names registered as PDO are those that have the strongest links to the place in which they are made.
- Products: food, agricultural products and wines.
- Specifications: Every part of the production, processing and preparation process must take place in the specific region. For wines, this means that the grapes have to come exclusively from the geographical area where the wine is made.
- Example: Kalamata olive oil PDO is entirely produced in the region of Kalamata in Greece, using olive varieties from that area.
- Label: mandatory for food and agricultural products, optional for wine
Protected geographical indication (PGI)
PGI emphasises the relationship between the specific geographic region and the name of the product, where a particular quality, reputation or other characteristic is essentially attributable to its geographical origin.
- Products: food, agricultural products and wines.
- Specifications: For most products, at least one of the stages of production, processing or preparation takes place in the region. In the case of wine, this means that at least 85% of the grapes used have to come exclusively from the geographical area where the wine is actually made.
- Example: Westfälischer Knochenschinken PGI ham is produced in Westphalia using age-old techniques, but the meat used does not exclusively come from animals born and reared in that specific region of Germany.
- Label: mandatory for food, agricultural products, optional for wines.
Traditional speciality guaranteed
- Traditional speciality guaranteed (TSG) highlights the traditional aspects, such as the way the product is made or its composition, without being linked to a specific geographical area. The name of a product being registered as a TSG protects it against falsification and misuse.
- Products: food and agricultural products.
- Example: Gueuze TSG is a traditional beer obtained by spontaneous fermentation. It is generally produced in and around Brussels, Belgium. Nonetheless, being a TSG, its production method is protected but it could be produced somewhere else.
- Label: mandatory for all products.
