A geographical indication (GI) is a name or sign protected by intellectual property used on products which corresponds to a specific geographical location or origin (e.g., a town or region) and possess qualities or a reputation that are due to that origin.
The use of a geographical indication, as an indication of the product's source, is intended as a certification that the product possesses certain qualities, is made according to traditional methods, or enjoys a good reputation due to its geographical origin.
A geographical indication differs from an appelation of origin (also referred to as a designation of origin) since the latter is a special type of geographical indication where the link with the place of origin must be stronger and it requires more criteria for recognition. For a GI the geographical link is more flexible, since it is sufficient for only one characteristic of the product to be attributable to its geographical origin.
Legal definitions Article 22.1 of the TRIPS Agreement from 1995 defines geographical indications as "...indications which identify a good as originating in the territory of a Member [of the World Trade Organization], or a region or locality in that territory, where a given quality, reputation or other characteristic of the good is essentially attributable to its geographical origin."
The Geneva Act of the Lisbon Agreement on Appellations of Origin and Geographical Indications, adopted in 2015 and in force since 2020, modernized the Lisbon System, formally incorporated a definition of geographical indication consistent with TRIPS standard. Article 2(1)(ii) of the Geneva Act defines a GI as: "any indication protected in the Contracting Party of Origin consisting of or containing the name of a geographical area, or another indication known as referring to such area, which identifies a good as originating in that geographical area, where a given quality, reputation or other characteristic of the good is essentially attributable to its geographical origin."
History Governments have protected trade names and trademarks of food products identified with a particular region since at least the end of the 19th century, using laws against false trade descriptions or passing off, which generally protects against suggestions that a product has a certain protection benefits.
One of the first GI systems is the one used in France from the early part of the 20th century known as appellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC). The first law in France explicitly dedicated to the protection of appellations of origin was the Law of 6 May 1919 (Loi du 6 mai 1919 relative à la protection des Appellations d’Origin) which left to the courts the determination of the areas of production of an AO, but without defining the term. The decret-law of 30 July 1935 (Decret-Loi 30 Juillet 1935, Défense du marché des vins et régime économique de l’alcool) introduced the concept of Appellations d’Origine Contrôllées as a kind of AO; it also stablished the Comité National des Appellations d’Origine (CNAO) the administrative precedent of the Institut National des Appellations d’Origine (INAO).
In French system, Items that meet geographical origin and quality standards may be endorsed with a government-issued stamp which acts as official certification of the origins and standards of the product. Examples of products that have such "appellations of origin" include Gruyère cheese (from Switzerland) and many French wines.
Parallel to French initiatives, in 1924, Italy enacted its first decret on protection of "typical wines" (vini tipici) through the consortia for the protection of wine (consorzi di tutela). The statutes of the consortia had to be ratified by the Ministry of Agriculture that also had to monitor them. This decret didn't define de concept of designation but the one of typical wine: "typical wines are the genuine wines whose characteristics result from the type of grapevines, the zone of production or the methods of production and that remain identical for the same type of wine".Later in 1930, a law stablished that soil and climate conditions gave the wine its typical features. Finally, in 1963 the decret "on the protection of the designations of origin of musts and wines" abandoned the category of vini tipici and introduced three protection labels: Denominazione d’Origine Semplice (DOS); Denominazione di Origine Controllata (DOC); and Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita (DOCG).
Under "" of the 1919 Treaty of Versailles, Germany was forbidden from using allied geographical indications on products, which in particular affected the German "cognac" and "champagne" industries, as the French considered the terms misleading references to places in France. Since then, the terms "Weinbrand" and "Sekt" have been used instead.
Geographical indications have long been associated with the concept of terroir and with Europe as an entity, where there is a tradition of associating certain food products with particular regions. Under European Union law, a sui generis geographical indications framework was adopted in 1992 regulating two separate GI schemes called Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) and Protected Geographical Indication (PGI).
Since 2006, the European Union has required provisions in geographical indications in its free trade agreements.
Products protected The primary examples of geographical indications include agricultural products and wines and spirits, such as Champagne, Colombian coffee, Feta cheese, or Longjing tea. Nevertheless, the use of geographical indications is not limited to those products.
A geographical indication may also highlight specific qualities of a product that are due to human factors found in the product's place of origin, such as specific manufacturing skills and traditions. For example, handicrafts, which are generally handmade using local natural resources and usually embedded in the traditions of local communities.
An EU Regulation on geographical indication (GI) protection for craft and industrial products (CI) entered into force on 16 November 2023: the EC Regulation 2023/2411, known also as CI Regulation. It introduced a new EU-wide GI protection scheme for these type of products. Following its entry into force, the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) gained the authority to handle GIs for craft and industrial products (CIGIs), applicable from 1 December 2025. Since that date, it is possible to file applications for the registration of names of craft and industrial products meeting the necessary requirements in the EU.
Differences between geographical indications and other protections
Trademarks Geographical indications and trademarks are distinctive signs used to distinguish goods or services in the marketplace. Both convey information about the origin of a good or service, and enable consumers to associate a particular quality with a good or service. Nevertheless, while trademarks inform consumers about the source of a good or service as originating from a particular company, geographical indications identify a good as originating from a particular place, what allows to associate it with a particular quality<!— awkward/unclear phrasing —>, characteristic or reputation.
A trademark often consists of an arbitrary sign that may be used by its owner or another person authorized to do so. A trademark can be assigned or licensed to anyone, anywhere in the world, because it is linked to a specific company and not to a particular place. In contrast, the sign used to denote a geographical indication usually corresponds to the name of the place of origin of the good, or to the name by which the good is known in that place. A geographical indication may be used by all persons who, in the area of origin, produce the good according to specified standards. However, because of its link with the place of origin, a geographical indication cannot be assigned or licensed to someone outside that place or not belonging to the group of authorized producers.
Appellation of origin Appellations of origin are a special kind of geographical indication. The term is used in the Paris Convention and defined in the Lisbon Agreement, that in its Article 2 defines appellations of origin as:
Although not all AOs consist of the name of the product's place of origin. A number of traditional indications that are not place names, but refer to a product in connection with a place, are protected as appellations of origin under the Lisbon Agreement (i.e., Reblochon (cheese) and Vinho Verde (green wine)).
Appellations of origin and geographical indications both require a qualitative link between the product to which they refer and its place of origin, but the link with the place of origin must be stronger in the case of an appellation of origin. The quality or characteristics of a product protected as an appellation of origin must be due exclusively or essentially to the geographical environment, which comprises both natural factors (soil, climate, etc.) and human factors, a concept historically known as terroir.
In the case of geographical indications, a single criterion attributable to geographical origin is sufficient, be it a quality or other characteristic of the product, or only its reputation. Moreover, the production of the raw materials and the development or processing of a GI product do not necessarily take place entirely in the defined geographical area.
Rural development effects Geographical indications are generally applied to traditional products, produced by rural, marginal or indigenous communities over generations, that have gained a reputation on local, national or international markets due to their specific unique qualities. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has promoted GIs as a powerful tool for sustainable food development, through territorial linkages, especially for small-scale actors, by preventing the delocalization of production, preserving local biodiversity, and creating jobs. The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) emphasizes the economic benefits: by mitigating information asymmetry between producers and consumers and free-riding on product reputation, GI's act as a protection mechanism for both sides of market.
Producers can add value to their products through Geographical Indications by: communicating to consumers the product's characteristics, which derive from the climate, soil and other natural conditions in its particular geographical area; promoting the conservation of local traditional production processes; protecting and adding value to the cultural identity of local communities; and coordinating to enforce strict production methods and quality standards (e.g., the consortium for Parmigiano-Reggiano), which prevents market cannibalization, avoids a race to the bottom, and ensures consumer trust.
The recognition and protection of the names of these products allows the community of producers to invest in maintaining the specific qualities of the product on which the reputation is built. Resulting investments may be directed to the sustainability of the environment where these products originate and are produced. GI's can offer a comprehensive framework for rural development, since they can positively encompass issues of economic competitiveness, stakeholder equity, environmental stewardship, and socio-cultural value.
Rural development impacts from geographical indications, referring to environmental protection, economic development and social well-being, can be: the strengthening of sustainable local food production and supply (except for non-agricultural GIs such as handicrafts); a structuring of the supply chain around a common product reputation linked to origin and added value throughout the supply chain;