Geographical Indications Conference 2025: “Safeguarding our Heritage, Cultivating our Future”

Join us for the Geographical Indications (GI) Conference titled “Safeguarding our Heritage, Cultivating our Future” on 28-29 January 2025. This hybrid event, organised by the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO), in collaboration with the European Commission (the Directorate-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs, DG GROW, and the Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development, DG AGRI), will take place in person and online at the EUIPO headquarters in Alicante, Spain. The conference aims to address the latest developments, challenges, and opportunities in the field of geographical indications for craft and industrial as well as agricultural products. Current state of play of Craft and Agricultural GIs The Geographical Indications (GIs) landscape is currently undergoing significant changes. For craft GIs, the introduction of the new EU Regulation on the protection of geographical indications for craft and industrial products (CIGIR) marks a pivotal moment. Published on 27 October 2023 and entering into force on 16 November 2023, this legislation will allow producers to apply for GI protection from 1 December 2025. The EUIPO plays a crucial role in this new system, managing registrations and maintaining IT tools, such as the GIview database. Similarly, agricultural GIs are also undergoing transformative changes due to new legislation aimed at improving protection and streamlining the registration process. The entry into force and operational impact on the GI landscape will be explored at the conference.