In recent years, the European Commission anticipated the need to harmonize regulation concerning the protection of non-agricultural geographical indications at the European level, given that, until then, European legislation did not provide for a rule coordinating this figure across all Member States. In 2020, through the publication of an Intellectual Property Action Plan, the Commission undertook to examine the feasibility of this form of protection, with the aim of aligning the European regulatory framework with the Geneva Act.
Today, on 1 December 2025, Regulation (EU) No. 2023/2411 is fully effective throughout the European Union, finally establishing a Union system for the protection of geographical indications for craft and industrial products. Under this Regulation, “craft products” are understood to be those produced entirely by hand, or with the aid of manual or digital tools, or by mechanical means, as long as manual contribution constitutes a significant component of the finished product, such as Brussels lace. Conversely, “industrial products” are considered to be those produced in a standardized manner, including mass production and the use of machinery, such as Albacete knives.
In order for these products to qualify for protection as a geographical indication, they must originate from a specific place, region, or country, their quality, reputation, or specific characteristic must be essentially attributable to that geographical origin, and at least one stage of their production must take place in that territory. All these circumstances must be set out in the product specification.
The registration procedure will consist of two phases: one at national level and another at Union level. The application for protection shall be formalized through a single document, accompanied by the product specification and the relevant supporting documentation, and shall be submitted to the competent authority of the Member State from which the product originates. After verifying compliance with the formal requirements for protection, the application will be published, and any national third party with a legitimate interest may file an opposition within two months. Once the formal requirements and opposition period have been met, the competent authority shall forward the application to the EUIPO, thereby initiating the second phase of the procedure, for further examination and a new opposition period, this time at Union level, lasting three months. Upon completion of these steps, the EUIPO shall grant protection and register the indication in the Union Register. Under this Regulation, a protected geographical indication may not become a generic term within the Union.
A direct application procedure is provided for those countries that have demonstrated to the European Commission that, on the one hand, their national legislation does not provide specific protection for such products, and, on the other, that there is limited local interest in such protection. In this case, the application must be submitted directly to the EUIPO, bypassing the national phase. Likewise, it is possible to protect geographical indications from third countries.
To integrate the protection of geographical indications for craft and industrial products, this Regulation also amends Regulation (EU) 2017/2001 on the European Union Trade Mark and Regulation (EU) 2019/1753 on the Union’s action following its accession to the Geneva Act of the Lisbon Agreement on Appellations of Origin and Geographical Indications.
Finally, as from 2 December 2026, existing national geographical indications for craft and industrial products will cease to be in force, giving way to a single protection scheme for the 27 Union Member States, as well as for craft and industrial products from third countries, thereby fostering relations at the international level.
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