Information Notice – Public Consultation

Geographical indications from Japan

(2020/C 217/13)

The EU-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement (hereafter ‘the Agreement’) including a chapter on Geographical Indications (GIs) protecting many EU and Japanese GIs entered into force on 1 February 2019. Following Article 14.30 of the Agreement, the Japanese authorities have presented a list of additional GIs to be protected under the Agreement. The European Commission is currently considering whether these Geographical Indications shall be protected under the Agreement.

The Commission invites any Member State or third country or any natural or legal person having a legitimate interest, resident or established in a Member State or in a third country, to submit oppositions to such protection by lodging a duly substantiated statement.

Statements of opposition must reach the Commission within two months of the date of this publication. Statements of opposition should be sent to the following email address: AGRI-A4@ec.europa.eu

Statements of opposition shall be examined only if they are received within the time-limit set out above and if they show that the protection of the name proposed would:

(a) conflict with the name of a plant variety or an animal breed and as a result is likely to mislead the consumer as to the true origin of the product;

(b) be wholly or partially homonymous with that of a name already protected in the Union under Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 21 November 2012 on quality schemes for agricultural products and foodstuffs (1), under Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 December 2013 establishing a common organisation of the markets in agricultural products (2) and under Regulation (EU) 2019/787 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 April 2019 on the definition, description, presentation and labelling of spirit drinks, the use of names of spirit drinks in the presentation and labelling of other foodstuffs, the protection of geographical indications of spirit drinks, the use of ethyl alcohol distillates of agricultural origin in alcoholic beverages, and repealing Regulation (EC) No 110/2008 (3) or with one of the geographical indications from non-EU countries protected in the EU under bilateral agreements available at the following address: https://ec.europa.eu/info/sites/info/files/food-farming-fisheries/food_safety_and_quality/documents/list-gis-non-eu-countries-protected-in-eu_en.pdf

(c) in the light of a trade mark’s reputation and renown and the length of time it has been used, be liable to mislead the consumer as to the true identity of the product;

(d) jeopardise the existence of an entirely or partly identical name or of a trade mark or the existence of products which have been legally on the market for at least five years preceding the date of the publication of this notice.

(e) or if they can give details from which it can be concluded that the name for which protection is considered is generic.

The criteria referred to above shall be evaluated in relation to the territory of the Union, which in the case of intellectual property rights refers only to the territory or territories where the said rights are protected. The possible protection of these names in the European Union is subject to the successful conclusion of the discussions led under Article 14.30 of the Agreement and subsequent legal act.

List of Geographical Indications (4)

No Protected name in Japan Transcription into latin alphabet (for information purpose only) Short description (when necessary and for information purpose only) Category of Product 1 Mito no Yawaraka Negi Green onion Fruit, vegetables and cereals fresh or processed 2 Matsudate Shibori Daikon Japanese white radish (Daikon) Fruit, vegetables and cereals fresh or processed 3 Taisyu Soba Buckwheat and Buckwheat flour Fruit, vegetables and cereals fresh or processed 4 /Yamagata Celery Yamagata Celery Celery Fruit, vegetables and cereals fresh or processed 5 Nango Tomato Tomato Fruit, vegetables and cereals fresh or processed 6 Yamadai Kansho Sweet potato Fruit, vegetables and cereals fresh or processed 7 / Iwadeyama Koridofu/ Iwadeyama Meisan Koridofu Freeze dried bean curd Fruit, vegetables and cereals fresh or processed 8 Kumamoto Akaushi Beef Fresh meat (and offal) 9 / Futago Satoimo/ Futago Imonoko Taro Fruit, vegetables and cereals fresh or processed 10 / Echizen Gani/Echizen Kani Snow crab/Boiled snow crab Fresh fish, molluscs, and crustaceans and products derived therefrom 11 / Daisen Broccoli Daisen Broccoli Broccoli Fruit, vegetables and cereals fresh or processed 12 /Okukuji Shamo Chicken Okukuji Shamo Chicken Fresh meat (and offal) 13 / Koge Hanagoshogaki Koge Hanagoshogaki Japanese persimmon Fruit, vegetables and cereals fresh or processed 14 / Kikuchi Suiden Gobo Kikuchi Suiden Gobo Burdock Fruit, vegetables and cereals fresh or processed 15 / Tsuruta Steuben Tsuruta Steuben Grape Fruit, vegetables and cereals fresh or processed 16 /Ozasa Urui Ozasa Urui Hosta Fruit, vegetables and cereals fresh or processed 17 /Tokyo Shamo Tokyo Shamo Chicken Fresh meat (and offal) 18 / Sayo Mochidaizu Sayo Mochidaizu Soy Beans Fruit, vegetables and cereals fresh or processed 19 /Iburigakko Iburigakko Pickles Fruit, vegetables and cereals fresh or processed 20 /Daiei Suika Daiei Suika Watermelon Fruit, vegetables and cereals fresh or processed 21 / Tsunan no Yukishita Ninjin Tsunan no Yukishita Ninjin Carrot Fruit, vegetables and cereals fresh or processed 22 /Zentsujisan Shikakusuika Zentsujisan Shikakusuika Watermelon Fruit, vegetables and cereals fresh or processed 23 /Hiba Gyu Hiba Gyu Beef Fresh meat (and offal) 24 /Ibuki Soba/ /Ibuki Zairaisoba Ibuki Soba/Ibuki Zairaisoba Buckwheat Fruit, vegetables and cereals fresh or processed 25 /Higashiizumo no Maruhata Hoshigaki/Higashiizumo no Maruhata Hoshikaki Higashiizumo no Maruhata Hoshigaki Dried Japanese Persimmon Fruit, vegetables and cereals fresh or processed 26 Hokkaido Wine Wine 27 Nadagogo Sake Other alcoholic beverages 28 Harima Sake Other alcoholic beverages

(1) OJ L 343, 14.12.2012, p. 1.

(2) OJ L 347, 20.12.2013, p. 671.

(3) OJ L 130, 17.5.2019, p. 1.

(4) List of GIs registered in Japan provided by the Japanese authorities in the framework of the ongoing discussions according to Article 14.30 of the Agreement.