Webinar - Geographical Indications: the Eternalization of a knowledge

Last May 13^th INPI put together the Webinar ‘Geographical Indications: the Eternalization of a knowledge’, in partnership with the Portuguese Vine and Wine Institute (IVV) and the Portuguese Port and Douro Wines Institute (IVDP), under the Portuguese Presidency of the Council of the European Union.

The event, which had the participation of renowned national and international speakers and the virtual presence of about 200 attendees, aimed to be a privileged place for sharing and debating on the importance of Geographical Indications (GI). GIs are an important way to protect and secure unique products, from determined regions, which play a grand role in the economy and development of such regions.

The opening session had the contributions INPI’s President, Ana Bandeira, of the President of the IVV, Bernardo Gouvea, and the President of the IVDP, Gilberto Igrejas.

The speech delivered by Ana Bandeira highlighted the importance of Geographical Indications for the country's economy, noting that Portugal is one of the European countries with the highest number of Appellations of Origin (AO) and Geographical Indications protected at European level, with 190 registered products.

Geographical Indications protect the authenticity of products, and inform the consumers about their identity. This protection is not only necessary on a European Union level, but also on an international level, specifically by means of international agreements, as underlined Bernardo Gouvêa during his speech.

On the course of that session, Gilberto Igrejas mentioned that GIs are a symbol of quality in a competitive market, referring that several studies have been demonstrating the significance of GIs on valuing the origin of protected products. He concluded by saying that the IVDP will continue its work on promoting the prestige of Douro and Port Wine, honouring the “weight” of representing the oldest demarcated region in the world, which dates back to 1756.

The first panel, dedicated to Agricultural Geographical Indications, included the contributions of Maria João Fernão Pires, from IVV, Alberto Ribeiro de Almeida, from IVDP, and Sara Canas, from the Portuguese Institute for Agricultural and Veterinary Research. Maria João Fernão Pires spoke about “Appellations of Origin and Geographical Indications in the wine sector in Portugal”, highlighting that the Common Agricultural Policy aims at a competitive agricultural sector, especially with the “Farm to Fork” strategy - with a strong DO and IG component - which values ​​local communities, by protecting the products' intrinsic link to tradition, culture and geography.

Alberto Ribeiro de Almeida addressed the issue of the unlawful appropriation of products protected by Geographical Indications and the need for a strong distinction between DO and IG, thus preventing any confusion that may affect the consumer choices. The IVDP representative offered several examples of the importance of Geographical Indications and Appellations of Origin on the protection of unique products that aim not only to protect the product obtained based on the intrinsic characteristics of certain regions combined with often ancestral and traditional knowledge, but, above all, to protect the consumer himself. By protecting this IP right, the investment is also secured and the value and identity are preserved in a highly competitive market. Furthermore, by avoiding the illegitimate appropriation of protected products, one preserves the quality and integrity of the product: “one shall never kill the chicken that lays the golden eggs”.

Sara Canas presented the “Case study: Contribution of the research carried out at EVN/INIAV to the 'Lourinhã' Designation of Origin”, highlighting the role that continuous research has in the development of a product’s quality. Sara Canas showed that it is possible to preserve the identity of an IG and adapt it to the modern world, perfecting its characteristics, as demonstrated by the example of the chestnut-wood barrels used for the ageing of Lourinhã wine.

On the same panel, we had the opportunity to hear Katarina Kompari from the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO), who highlighted the fruitful cooperation between EUIPO and the European Commission, clearly showing that “we are stronger when united".

The second panel, devoted to Non-Agricultural Geographical Indications, started with contributions of Rui Solnado da Cruz, from INPI, and Fernando Gaspar, from the Vocational Training Center for Crafts and Crafts, who provided an overview on the subject. After assessing the reality in other States, both highlighted the urgent need for legal protection at EU level, and for a Non-Agricultural GI system in Portugal.

Next in the agenda, were the presentations delivered by Paulo Bairos, of the Madeira Wine, Embroidery and Handicraft Institute, who spoke about “Madeira Embroidery”, the first Portuguese non-agricultural product protected as a Geographical Indication, in 1985, and Daniel Martins, representing the region of Gondomar and Póvoa do Lanhoso, the largest producer of Filigree art.

Paulo Bairos emphasized the importance of having protected “Madeira Embroidery” as GI, declaring how he was fully aware that if they had not done so with such in such an early stage, the product would not have the quality that distinguishes it today, nor maintained the quality that currently owns. Daniel Martins, in turn, looked at the experience of the exquisite “Filigrana Portuguesa”, protected as GI in 2018, and reflected on the biggest challenges it faces nowadays.

Representing the European Commission, Claudia Martinez Felix closed this panel with a presentation regarding he GI protection process in Europe, both as regards agricultural and non-agricultural products, with particular focus on their importance for all Member States , especially in what concerns job creation and the tourism industry.

‘The internationalization of Geographical Indications and the effects of the Geneva Act’ was the subject addressed in the third panel by Alexandra Graziolli, of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). Alexandra explained the advantages of the Geneva Act and its operation, and concluded by sharing the latest developments in this system, and what are the expectations for the future.

Finally, in the last panel ‘Geographical Indications outside the EU’ we had the opportunity to hear the contributions delivered by Patrícia da Silva Barbosa, from the National Institute of Industrial Property in Brazil, and Hailton Tavares Alfama, from the Cape Verdean Institute for Quality and Property Management and Intellectual Property Institute. The first speech was ‘Brazilian Geographical Indications: two decades of practical learning’, and the second focused on ‘Geographical Indications in Cape Verde - the case of Vinho do Fogo’.

The Portuguese Secretary of State for Justice, Anabela Pedroso, closed this Webinar, highlighting that the need for protection has become increasingly relevant due to the globalization process in which we find ourselves in, which is why it has become an almost mandatory topic on everyone's political agendas of all the countries of the world.

Anabela Pedroso ended her contribution with an appeal to the audience: “ it is up to us not only to keep the path of preservation of this cultural heritage, but also to perfect the ways of protecting these products”.

The video of the event will soon be available on INPI’s Youtube channel.