RESTRICTED
WORLD TRADE IP/C/W/85
17November 1997
ORGANIZATION(97-5046)
Council forTrade-Related Aspects
ofIntellectual Property Rights
OVERVIEW OFEXISTING INTERNATIONAL NOTIFICATION AND REGISTRATION
SYSTEMS FOR GEOGRAPHICAL INDICATIONS
RELATING TOWINES AND SPIRITS
Note bytheSecretariat
I. INTRODUCTION
1. Atitsmeeting of27February 1997, theCouncil agreed toinitiate preliminary work onissues
relevant tothenegotiations specified inArticle 23.4oftheTRIPS Agreement through aninformation-
gathering activity (IP/C/M/12, paragraph 73).Inthisconnection, theCouncil requested theSecretariat,
atitsmeeting of19September 1997, toprepare afactual background noteonexisting international
notification andregistration systems forgeographical indications relating towines andspirits, according
toanagreed outline (IP/C/M/15, paragraph 56andAnnex). Itwasagreed thatthenotewould cover
thoseregistration systems which, insome fashion, covered wines andspirits, i.e.including those which,
apart from wines orspirits, alsocovered other products.
2. Inresponse tothisrequest, thepresent notehasbeenprepared. Inaccordance withtheoutline
forthenoteagreedbytheCouncil,itcompilesinformationabouttheLisbonAgreementfortheProtection
ofAppellations ofOrigin andtheirInternational Registration andabout other multilateral aswellas
bilateral andregional notification andregistration systems.
3. Inpreparing thenote, theSecretariat consulted withWIPO andtheOffice International dela
Vigne etduVin(OIV)1andobtained source material from these international organizations. The
Secretariat alsoacquired useful information attheSymposium ontheProtection ofGeographical
Indications intheWorldwide Context organised byWIPO incooperation withtheHungarian Patent
Office inEger, Hungary, on24and25October 1997 andfromtherecords oftheprevious fivesuch
WIPO Symposia.
1Inthisconnection, theSecretariat received anotefrom theOIVexplaining, inter alia,that,in1947, theOIVhad
recommended thatallwine-producing nations should establish, under theauspices oftheOIV, aninventory oftheappellations
oforigin ofwines andwine-spirits (OIV Resolution 1/1947). TheGeneral Assembly oftheOIVhasreaffirmed theneed
fortherealisation andpublication ofaninventory ofgeographical indications onvarious other occasions. Work isunderway
intheOIVontheestablishment ofdatabaseand,todate, eleven OIVMember States havesubmitted theirlistsofgeographical
indications totheOIV.IP/C/W/85
Page2
II. MULTILATERAL AGREEMENTS
(i) Lisbon Agreement fortheProtection ofAppellations ofOrigin andtheirInternational
Registration
Introduction
4. TheLisbon Agreement fortheProtection ofAppellations ofOrigin andtheirInternational
Registration of31October 1958 isaspecial agreement within themeaning ofArticle 19oftheParis
Convention fortheProtection ofIndustrial Property ("Paris Convention"). TheAgreement entered
intoforce on25September 1966 andwasrevised bytheActofStockholm of14July1967, which
entered intoforce on31October 1973. TheAgreement isopentoanycountry which isparty tothe
Paris Convention andcountries which areparty totheLisbon Agreement constitute aSpecial Union
("Lisbon Union") within theframework oftheUnion fortheProtection ofIndustrial Property ("Paris
Union").
5. Todate, 18countries areparty totheLisbon Agreement. Most ofthese countries joined in
thetwenty years following itsadoption in1958, namely Algeria, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Congo, Cuba,
theCzech Republic, France, Gabon, Haiti, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Mexico, Portugal, theSlovak
Republic, Togo andTunisia. Onlyonecountry hasjoined inthelasttwenty years, namely Costa Rica
on30July1997.
6. Parties totheAgreement undertake toprotect ontheirterritories theappellations oforigin of
products oftheother countries oftheLisbon Union, provided thatthese arerecognised andprotected
assuchinthecountry oforigin andregistered attheInternational Bureau ofWIPO.
Coverage
7. TheAgreement applies, regardless oftheproducts covered, to"appellations oforigin" which
meetthespecific definition contained initsArticle 2,which reads asfollows:
"InthisAgreement, 'appellation oforigin 'means thegeographical name ofacountry, region,
orlocality,whichservestodesignateaproductoriginatingtherein,thequalityandcharacteristics
ofwhich aredueexclusively oressentially tothegeographical environment, including natural
andhuman factors."
Requirements forProtection
8. Protection under theterms oftheAgreement isbased onaninternational registration ofan
appellation oforigin effected bytheInternational Bureau ofWIPO. International registration iseffected
onrequest bythegovernment ofthemember country whose name constitutes theappellation oforigin
orinwhich theareatowhich theappellation oforigin refers islocated. Under Article 1(2)ofthe
Agreement, anappellation oforigin mustbeprotected assuchinthecountry oforigin before itcan
beregistered bytheInternational Bureau. Although thiscondition isnotexamined andenforced by
theInternational Bureau, itcanbeinvoked asaground inadeclaration ofrefusal ofprotection by
other parties totheLisbon Agreement (seeunder "Registration Procedures" below). Article 2(2)of
theAgreement stipulates thatthecountry oforigin is"thecountry whose name, orthecountry inwhich
issituated theregion orlocality whose name, constitutes theappellation oforigin which hasgiven
theproduct itsreputation."IP/C/W/85
Page3
Legal Effect ofRegistration
- Duration ofProtection
9. Theregistrationisvalidwithoutanylimitationintime.Internationalregistrationofanappellation
oforigin under theAgreement ensures itsprotection without anyneedforrenewal. However, ifthe
appellation oforigin ceases tobeprotected assuchinthecountry oforigin, theother countries party
totheLisbon Agreement become freetoconsider suchanappellation asageneric term(seeArticles 6
and7).
- Scope ofProtection
10. International registration oftheappellation oforigin hastheeffect thatallcountries thatare
party totheLisbon Agreement (inaddition tothecountry oforigin) havetogrant protection under
itsArticle 3against anyusurpation orimitation oftheappellation oforigin, evenifthetrueorigin
oftheproduct isindicated oriftheappellation isusedintranslated form oraccompanied byterms
suchas"kind", "type", "make", "imitation" orthelike.
11. Once theprocedure allowing fortherefusal ofprotection hasbeen completed (seeunder
"Registration Procedures" below) andtheregistration ofanappellation oforigin hasbecome legally
effective, theprotection against usurpation orimitation isabsolute; theAgreement doesnotspecify
anyexceptions andonlyallows some flexibility regarding thephasing outofprioruseoftheappellation
bythirdparties inother countries oftheLisbon Union (seeunder "Registration Procedures" below).
- Persons Entitled ToTake Legal Action
12. Under Article 8oftheLisbon Agreement, legalaction required forensuring theprotection
ofappellations oforigin maybetaken ineachofthecountries oftheLisbon Union under theprovisions
ofthenational legislation:
1. attheinstance ofthecompetent Office orattherequest ofthepublic prosecutor;
2. byanyinterested party, whether anatural person oralegalentity, whether public or
private.
Registration Procedure
- Application forRegistration andNotification toCountries oftheLisbon Union
13. International registrations ofappellations oforigin under Article 5oftheAgreement takeplace
attherequest oftheOffices ofcountries oftheLisbon Union inthename ofanynatural persons or
legal entities, public orprivate, having, according totheirnational legislation, aright tousesuch
appellations.
14. Theprocedure forobtaining aninternational registration ofanappellation oforigin under the
Lisbon Agreement isthat,first,anapplication istobesubmitted totheInternational Bureau ofWIPO,
inFrench andonaformsupplied bytheInternational Bureau, dated andsigned bythecompetent Office
ofthecountry oforigin making theapplication andaccompanied bytherequired registration fee.Once
theapplication isinconformity withthese formal requirements, theappellation oforigin isregistered
bytheInternational Bureau.IP/C/W/85
Page4
15. According toRule1(2)oftheRegulations under theLisbon Agreement, applications mustalso
contain thefollowing indications2:
(a) thecountry making theapplication;
(b) theOffice competent toreceive notifications from theInternational Bureau;
(c) theowner orowners oftheappellation oforigin;
(d) theappellation oforigin whose registration isrequested;
(e) theproduct towhich theappellation applies;
(f) theareainwhich theproduct isproduced;
(g) thetitleanddateoflegislative oradministrative provisions, orofjudicial decisions,
recognising protection inthecountry making theapplication.
16. Appellations oforigin arerecorded intheInternational Register keptbytheInternational Bureau
inthechronological order oftheapplications complying withtheformal requirements mentioned under
(a)and(c)-(e) intheprevious sub-paragraph.
17. Assoonasanappellation oforigin hasbeenregistered, theInternational Bureau sends tothe
Office which applied fortheregistration acertificate reproducing theindications recorded inthe
International Register. Recordings arealsopublished bytheInternational Bureau inaperiodical entitled
"Lesappellations d'origine".
18. Theregistration isalsonotified, withthesame indications, totheOffices ofallthecountries
oftheLisbon Union. TheOffices inquestion areasked toreturn totheInternational Bureau, duly
dated andsigned, confirmation ofreceipt including thedateofreception ofthenotification ofthe
registration. Thisdateisspecified inArticle 5(3)oftheLisbon Agreement asthestarting-date ofthe
time-limit within which acountry oftheLisbon Union cannotify adeclaration ofrefusal ofprotection
anditisunderstood thatitisalsothestarting-date ofthetime-limit inArticle 5(6)within which prior
useoftheappellation bythirdparties hastobephased out(seefurther under thenextindent below).
19. Asregards newly acceding countries, notification oftheiraccession tocountries oftheLisbon
Union bytheDirector General ofWIPO ensures according toArticle 14(2)(b) and(c),ofitself, in
theterritories ofthesecountries, thebenefits oftheprovisions oftheLisbon Agreement toappellations
oforigin which, atthetimeofaccession, arethesubject ofaninternational registration under the
Agreement,subjecttothetime-limitforrefusalofprotection.Inpractice,thismeansthatnewlyacceding
countries haveoneyearfromthedateoftheiraccession tonotify theirrefusal toprotect anappellation
oforigin thatforms partoftheexisting stock ofregistrations.
- Refusal ofProtection
20. Articles 5(3)to5(5)oftheLisbon Agreement allow theOffice ofanyother country ofthe
Lisbon Union todeclare within aperiod ofoneyearfromthereceipt ofthenotification ofregistration
thatitcannot ensure theprotection onitsterritory oftheappellation oforigin whose registration has
beennotified. Such adeclaration must beaddressed totheInternational Bureau, together withan
indication ofthegrounds therefor, which willnotify thedeclaration totheOffice ofthecountry of
origin andindicate itintheInternational Register.
21. Thegrounds onwhich suchadeclaration canbemade arenotspecified intheLisbon Agreement.
According toArticle 5(3)oftheAgreement, the"Office ofanycountry [oftheLisbon Union] may
2According toRule 5(4)oftheRegulations under theLisbon Agreement, modifications oftheregistration relating to
thecountry oforigin, theowners, theappellation oforigin ortheproduct towhich itapplies shallnecessitate anewinternational
registration.IP/C/W/85
Page5
declare tothatitcannot ensure theprotection ofanappellation oforigin whose registration hasbeen
notified toit,butonlyinsofarasitsdeclaration isnotified totheInternational Bureau, together with
anindication ofthegrounds therefor, within aperiod ofoneyearfrom thereceipt ofthenotification
ofregistration, andprovided thatsuchdeclaration isnotdetrimental, inthecountry concerned, tothe
other forms ofprotection oftheappellation which theowner thereof maybeentitled toclaim, [through
other international agreements orbyvirtue ofnational legislation orcourt decisions]."
22. Asmentioned above, ifacountry oftheLisbon Union doesnotavailitself ofthepossibility
torefuse protection through adeclaration under Article 5(3),itisheldtoensure protection ofthenotified
appellation against anyusurpation orimitation asstipulated inArticle 3oftheLisbon Agreement.
However, incaseofprioruseoftheappellation bythirdparties inthecountry inquestion, Article 5(6)
oftheLisbon Agreement stipulates thatthatcountry willbeallowed alimited period forphasing out
usebythese thirdparties. Theprovision inquestion reads asfollows:
"Ifanappellation which hasbeengranted protection inagiven country pursuant tonotification
ofitsinternational registration hasalready beenusedbythirdparties inthatcountry from a
dateprior tosuchnotification, thecompetent Office ofthesaidcountry shallhavetheright
togranttosuchthirdparties aperiod notexceeding twoyears toterminate suchuse,oncondition
thatitadvises theInternational Bureau accordingly during thethree months following the
expiration oftheperiod ofoneyearprovided forinparagraph (3)above."
Aspecial form canbeobtained from theInternational Bureau ofWIPO forthispurpose. When the
International Bureau receives thenotification inquestion, itwilltransmit thatnotification totheOffice
ofthecountry oforigin andtakeitupintheInternational Register.
- Opposition toRefusal
23. Itisstipulated inArticle 5(5)thatinterested parties "may resort [intherefusing country] to
allthejudicial andadministrative remedies open tothenationals ofthatcountry". When making a
declaration under Article 5(3),countries are,therefore, asked toindicate ontherefusal forminformation
about thepossibilities andprocedures forreview, including therelevant time-limits andinstances.
Practice under theLisbon Agreement
24. Upto1January 1997, theInternational Bureau ofWIPO hasregistered 738appellations of
origin fromthefollowing countries: France (472), Czech Republic (70)3,Bulgaria (48),Slovak Republic
(37)3,Hungary (28),Italy(26),Algeria (19),Cuba(18),Tunisia (7),Portugal (6),Mexico (4),Israel (1).
Most ofthose registrations were effected during theyears 1967 to1985 (more thanhalf-440
registrations -in1967, theyearaftertheentry intoforceoftheLisbon Agreement). Inthesameperiod,
13registrations were cancelled.4
25. Upto1January 1997, altogether 90refusals havebeenpronounced inrespect ofinternational
registrations, bythefollowing countries: Mexico (35), Israel (16), Cuba (11), Czechoslovakia (9),
3108appellations oforigin were registered inthename oftheformer Czechoslovakia, ofwhich 70havebeenattributed
totheCzech Republic and37totheSlovak Republic, whereas onewascancelled.
4According toRule 5oftheRegulations under theLisbon Agreement, anyOffice which hasapplied forinternational
registration mayatanytimerequest theInternational Bureau tocancel thatregistration. According toRule 1(5), suchan
Office isalsoentitled, when applying foraninternational registration, tostatethatitrenounces protection inoneorsome
ofthecountries, specified byname, which areparty totheAgreement; under Rule5(1), itcanalsonotify theInternational
Bureau atalatertimethatitrenounces protection inoneorsome ofthese countries orrequest ittomodify theindication
intheInternational Register inthisregard.IP/C/W/85
Page6
France (6),Haiti (6),Portugal (4),Hungary (2),Italy(1).Allthese refusals weremade during the
years 1967 to1981. TheInternational Bureau hasalsoreceived 30communications concerning the
cancellation ofaninitial refusal.
26. Appellations oforigin registered under theLisbon Agreement cover alargerange ofproducts,
including notonlywines andspirits, butalsoother beverages, fruits andvegetables, dairy products,
meatproducts, fish,honey, various other agricultural produce, products ofhandicraft orindustry and
extractive products suchassaltandsilica.
(ii) International Registration Systems forMarks
27. International registration systems formarks canbeusedwithrespect tocollective marks,
certification marks orguarantee marks andthere arecountries where signs orindications which may
serve, intrade, todesignate thegeographical origin ofgoods orservices mayconstitute collective,
certification orguarantee marks. Themain international registration treaties concerning marks are
theMadrid Agreement Concerning theInternational Registration ofMarks ("Madrid Agreement") of
14April 1891, asrevised andamended, andtheProtocol Relating totheMadrid Agreement Concerning
theInternational Registration ofMarks of27June1989, which became operational on1April 1996.
These instruments arespecial agreements under Article 19oftheParis Convention andprovide for
theinternational registration ofmarks attheInternational Bureau ofWIPO. Registration mayalso
beobtained forcollective marks, including certification marks orguarantee marks.
28. Tobeabletoenjoy theadvantages oftheMadrid Agreement, theapplicant mustbeanational
ofoneofthecountries party totheAgreement ("Madrid Union") orbedomiciled orhavearealand
effective industrial orcommercial establishment inoneofthese countries. Themark inquestion must
firstberegistered inthetrademark office ofthecountry oforigin before anapplication forinternational
registration canbefiledwiththeInternational Bureau ofWIPO. International registrations arepublished
bytheInternationalBureauandnotifiedtothecountriesoftheMadridUniondesignatedintheapplication
forinternational registration, which havetherighttodeclare, within aperiod ofoneyearfrom the
dateofinternational registration, thatprotection cannot begranted tothemark intheirterritory. The
grounds forsuchrefusal mustaccompany thedeclaration andcannot beother thanthose which would
apply, under theParis Convention, inthecaseofamark filedfornational registration.
29. TheMadrid Protocol introduces certain newfeatures aimed atremoving thedifficulties that
werepreventing certain countries fromadhering totheMadrid Agreement. Inparticular, theProtocol
allows applicants tobasetheirapplication forinternational registration onanapplication forregistration
inthecountry oforigin; countries oftheMadrid Union mayelecttohaveaperiod of18months,
instead ofoneyear, forsubmitting thedeclaration ofrefusal (andanevenlonger period inthecase
ofopposition); thefeesystem isdifferent; rejection ofthebasic application inthecountry oforigin
(orinvalidation ofthebasic registration, orofaregistration resulting fromabasic application, inthe
country oforigin within fiveyears ofthedateofinternational registration), while leading tocancellation
oftheinternational registration, entitles theholder oftheinternational registration totransform its
internationalregistrationintonationalapplicationswithoutlosingthedateoftheinternationalregistration,
orofanyapplicable priority date.IP/C/W/85
Page7
III. BILATERAL AND REGIONAL AGREEMENTS
30. Anumber ofcountries haveconcluded, overtheyears, bilateral orregional agreements on
theprotection ofgeographical indications. Many ofthese agreements provide forthedesignation of
specific geographical indications tobeprotected intheparties andwould appear tofollow twomain
models:
- Agreements which establish anopen-ended international system fortheregistration
ofgeographical indications which meetcriteria ofgeneral application specified inthe
agreement, aftercompliance withprocedures specified intheagreement. Apart from
thearrangements within theEuropean Communities, onwhich information hasbeen
circulated indocument IP/C/W/76/Add.8, theonlyagreement ofthisnature onwhich
theSecretariat hasinformation isthatoftheBangui Agreement, of7March 1977,
ConcerningtheEstablishmentoftheAfricanIntellectualPropertyOrganization.Further
information onthisiscontained below.
- Many other bilateral agreements andsome regional agreements specify listsof
geographical indications from eachofthecountries party totheagreement towhich
protectionshallbeprovided,sometimesinconjunctionwithminimumstandardsdefining
theprotection tobeaccorded. These agreements donotprovide internal mechanisms
bywhich additions canbemade tothelists; suchadditions require theconclusion
ofanewagreement amending theearlier agreement. Thetraditional model forsuch
agreements istheAgreement between Germany andFrance, of8March 1960, onthe
Protection ofIndications ofSource, Appellations ofOrigin andOther Geographical
Denominations. Information onthisAgreement iscontained below aswellasontwo
other bilateral agreements, which follow abroadly similar approach, andonNAFTA.
(i) Bangui Agreement of2March 1977 Concerning theCreation ofOAPI (African
Intellectual Property Organization)
Introduction
31. TheBangui Agreement of2March 1977 creates acommon system fortheprotection of
intellectual property applicable, todate, in14French-speaking African countries, namely Benin,
Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Central African Republic, Congo, Côted'Ivoire, Gabon, Guinea,
Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal andTogo. Therégime isapplicable foreachareaofintellectual
property covered bythevarious annexes totheAgreement, including oneonappellations oforigin
(Annex VI)andestablishes independent national rights effective inthelegal systems ofeachofthe
OAPI countries aswellasacommon industrial property service inthesense ofArticle 12oftheParis
Convention. Under Article 11oftheAgreement, OAPI shallensure theregistration ofappellations
oforigin andthepublication ofregistered appellations oforigin inaccordance withacommon procedure.
Coverage
32. TheAgreement defines inArticle 1ofAnnex VItheterm"appellation oforigin" as"the
geographical denomination ofacountry, aregion oraspecific place usedtodesignate aproduct which
originates therein andthecharacteristic qualities ofwhich aredueexclusively oressentially tothe
geographical environment, including natural factors, human factors orbothnatural andhuman factors;
adenomination which refers toaspecific geographical areaforthepurpose ofcertain products, withoutIP/C/W/85
Page8
being thedenomination ofacountry, region oraspecific place, alsoqualifies assuchageographical
denomination." "Product" isdefined as"anynatural, agricultural, handicraft orindustrial product".5
Requirements forProtection
33. According toArticle 3ofAnnex VI,appellations oforigin areprotected assuch, iftheyhave
beenregistered byOAPI orifregistration results from aninternational convention. Burkina Faso,
Congo, Gabon andTogo arepartytotheLisbon Agreement. Thebenefits ofAnnex VIarealsoavailable
toforeigners, butforeign appellations oforigin canonlyberegistered byOAPI asaresult ofan
international convention. Excluded from protection are,according toArticle 4,appellations which
arenotinconformity withtheabove-mentioned definition orwhich arecontrary tomorality orpublic
order orwhich, inparticular, areliable tomislead thepublic astothenature, origin, manufacturing
process, characteristic qualities orthesuitability forthepurpose oftheproducts concerned. Article 5
stipulates whoareentitled tofileapplications forregistration (seefurther under "Common Registration
Procedure" below).
Legal Effect ofRegistration
- Scope ofProtection
34. Article 11ofAnnex VIlaysdown thatonlyproducers carrying ontheir activity inthe
geographical areaindicated intheregister areentitled touse,forcommercial purposes, theregistered
appellation oforigin fortheproducts indicated intheregister, totheextent thatthese products have
theessential characteristic qualities indicated intheregister. With respect toproducts thathavethus
beenputonthemarket bythese persons under aregistered appellation oforigin, anyperson hasthe
righttousetheappellation oforigin. Otherwise, anyuseforcommercial purposes oftheregistered
appellation oforigin, orofasimilar denomination, forproducts indicated intheregister, orsimilar
products, isunlawful, evenwhere thetrueorigin oftheproduct isindicated ortheappellation isused
intranslated formoraccompanied byterms suchas"kind", "type", "make", "imitation" orthelike.
- Remedies
35. Under Article 12,anyinterested person aswellasanyinterested grouping ofproducers or
consumers cantakeaction against theperpetrator oftheunlawful useoftheregistered appellation of
origin andagainst persons contributing tothisuse,withaviewtoputting anendtotheunlawful use
ortoprohibiting imminent unlawful useandtothedestruction oflabels andother documents used,
orliable tobeused, forsuchunlawful use.Anyone whohassuffered damage asaresult oftheunlawful
usecanclaim reparation ofthedamage from theperpetrator oftheunlawful useandfrom persons
which contributed tothatuse.
36. Article 13stipulates thepenalties foranyone whowilfully usesaregistered appellation oforigin
unlawfully: aterm ofimprisonment ofthree months tooneyearand/or afineof50.000 to
300.000 francs CFA.
Common Registration Procedure
37. ApplicationsaretobesubmittedtotheMinistryresponsibleforindustrialpropertyinthecountry
inquestion, which willrecord thedateoffiling andtransmit theapplication toOAPI iftheMinistry
5Thetranslation oflanguage from theAgreement inthepresent paper isunofficial.IP/C/W/85
Page9
hasnoobjections withrespect totheapplication. OAPI examines whether theapplicant isentitled
toapply forregistration andtheapplication istoberejected ifthisisnotthecase.
38. Article 5ofAnnex VIlaysdown thatapplications fortheregistration ofappellations oforigin
canbefiledby:
1. natural orlegalpersons carrying onanactivity ofproducer inthegeographical area
indicated fortheproducts inquestion, aswellasgroupings ofsuchpersons;
2. oranycompetent authority.
Inthisregard, theterm"producer" is,according toArticle 1,defined asfollows:
(i) anyfarmer oranyother person whoexploits natural products;
(ii) anyperson whomanufactures handicraft orindustrial products;
(iii) anyone whotrades inthese products.
39. OAPI alsoexamines whether applications areinconformity with thefollowing formal
requirements, asstipulated inArticle 6ofAnnex VI:
(a) thename, address andnationality oftheapplicant aswellasinwhich capacity theperson
inquestion applies forregistration;
(b) theappellation whose registration isrequested;
(c) thegeographical areatowhich theappellation applies;
(d) theproducts forwhich theappellation isused, interms sufficiently precise toallow,
inparticular, determination ofwhether theyarerawmaterials, semi-finished products
orfinished products;
(e) where appropriate, theessential characteristic qualities oftheproducts forwhich the
appellation isused;
(f) proof thattheprescribed feeshavebeenpaid.
Once theabove-mentioned requirements arecomplied with, theappellation oforigin willberecorded
inthespecial register ofappellations oforigin, which willbenotified totheapplicant.
(ii) Agreement of8March 1960 Between theFederal Republic ofGermany andFrance
ontheProtection ofIndications ofSource, Appellations ofOrigin amd Other
Geographical Denominations
40. Thetraditional example ofanagreement entirely devoted totheprotection ofindications of
source andappellations oforigin under which countries haveexchanged listsofnames tobeprotected
ineachother'sterritories istheAgreement of8March 1960Between theFederal Republic ofGermany
andFrance ontheProtection ofIndications ofSource, Appellations ofOrigin andOther Geographical
Denominations. Theagreement laysdown thatthenames ontheGerman listwillbeprotected inFrance
onthebasisofGerman law,while French lawwould determine theprotection inGermany ofthenames
ontheFrench list.Adding names tothelistsrequires amendment oftheagreement and,therefore,
newnegotiations.IP/C/W/85
Page10
(iii) EC-Hungary Agreement
41. Amore recent example isthe1993 Agreement between theEuropean Communities andthe
Republic ofHungary onthereciprocal protection andcontrol ofwinenames. Under thisAgreement,
Hungary mustprotect, asregards wines originating intheCommunities: references totheMember
State inwhich thewineoriginates; specified terms under which wines aresoldintheCommunities;
andthegeographical indications andtraditional expressions referred toinanannex totheagreement.
Similar obligations fortheEuropean Communities apply toreferences toHungary andthegeographical
indications andtraditional expressions referred toinanannex, which arethose which appear inthe
Hungarianwinelegislation.TheAgreementfurtherstipulatesthat,inHungary,theprotectedCommunity
names arereserved exclusively tothewines originating intheCommunities towhich theyapply and
maynotbeusedotherwise thanunder theconditions provided forbythelawsandregulations ofthe
Communities or,intheir absence, oftheMember States. Thereverse situation applies inthe
Communities. Detailed provisions ontheapplication ofthisprotection arealsospecified.
(iv) EC-Australia Agreement
42. Reciprocal protection ofwine names andrelated provisions ondescription andpresentation
comparable tothose specified intheAgreement between theCommunity andHungary canalsobefound
inthe1992Agreement concluded between theCommunity andAustralia ontrade inwine. Coverage
ofprotection tobeprovided under theagreement ofanumber ofnames issubject toaphasing-in period.6
(v) NAFTA
43. Another example ofthetypeofagreement referred toabove isthe1992North American Free
Trade Agreement (NAFTA). NAFTA deals with theprotection ofgeographical indications in
Chapter XVII onIntellectual Property andinAnnex 313toChapter IIIonNational Treatment and
Access ofGoods totheMarket. TheIntellectual Property Chapter laysdown anumber ofprovisions
concerning theprotection ofgeographical indications which correspond largely withArticles 22.1-4
and24.4-9oftheTRIPSAgreement.Separately,ChapterIII,Annex313,entitled"DistinctiveProducts",
specifies "Bourbon Whiskey", "Tennessee Whiskey", "Canadian Whiskey", "Tequila" and"Mezcal"
asdistinctive products under NAFTA oftheUnited States, Canada andMexico, respectively.
Accordingly, NAFTA countries other thanthecountry oforigin arenotallowed topermit thesale
ofanyproduct under therelevant name inquestion, unless ithasbeenmanufactured inthecountry
oforigin inaccordance withthelawsandregulations inthecountry oforigin governing itsmanufacture.
6TheEC-Australia Agreement hasawider scope thanmerely theprotection ofgeographical indications. Asstipulated
initsArticle 1,theobjective is,onthebasis ofnon-discrimination andreciprocity, tofacilitate andpromote trade inwine
originatingintheirrespect iveterritories.Apartfromtheprotectionofwinenames, theAgreement alsostipulatestheoenological
practices andprocesses andcompositional requirements forwine thattheparties agree torecognise reciprocally.