geographical indications

“Champagne”, as the well-known wine producing region in France, has been protected as an appellation of origin since 1908. In 1941, the Comité Interprofessionnel du vin de Champagne (CIVC) was established and has functioned as an industry association for the management and maintenance of the wine industry in the Champagne region since then. The CIVC applied for the registration of “Champagne” and its Chinese translation “香槟” in Class 33 as collective mark in China in 2012. Both collective marks were approved for registration in 2013.

In...

The European Union (EU) and China signed a bilateral agreement on the protection of geographical indications (GI) on September 14, 2020. The agreement is expected to enter into force in 2021. The agreement will protect 100 European geographical indications and as many Chinese geographical indications in the EU from usurpation and counterfeiting. Within four years of its entry into force, the scope of the agreement will be expanded to include additional 175 GI names from both sides. Cooperation between the EU and China began in 2006 and resulted in the...