Geographical indications (GIs) may not receive the most
fanfare among different forms of Intellectual Property, but they
are crucial to discerning consumers. People pay a premium for Cuban
cigars, Scotch whiskey, Darjeeling tea and other goods that are
made in specific regions. Protecting GIs are also very important
for the producers of those local goods. If anyone could paste a
Champagne label on a bottle of bubbly, winemakers in the Champagne
region of France would see their value greatly diminished.
Thanks to a new international
treaty forged between France and China in early November, 2019,
Champagne producers now have a new major foreign market that they
can enter. On November 6, the directors of France's Institut
national de l'origine et de la qualité (INAO) and
China's National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA)
signed an agreement that sets out a framework for the two nations
to collaborate on GIs for agriculture and food. Along with the
directors
