On 27 October 2023, the European Commission published Regulation 2023/2411, which changes the standards for geographical indications in craft and industrial products. With effect from 16 November 2023, this Regulation offers strong protection in the EU, safeguarding the intellectual property rights of registered geographical indications. The Regulation will enter full force in the EU on 1 December 2025.
The new EU Regulation includes:
-Products that are either entirely produced by hand or with the aid of manual or digital tools, or by mechanical means, in which case the manual input is a significant component of the final product, or
-Products that are produced in a standardized manner, including mass production and with the use of machinery. Such products include natural stones, textiles, jewelry, porcelain and carpentry, protecting their names.
Geographical indication protection for handicraft and industrial products includes protection against:
(a) any direct or indirect commercial use of the geographical indication for products not covered by the registration and where the use of the name exploits the reputation of the protected geographical indication.
(b) any misuse, or imitation of the name protected by the geographical indication.
(c) any false or misleading indication of the origin of the product used on the packaging; and
(d) any other practice that may mislead the consumer as to the origin of the product.
Implications for Cyprus
The existence of harmonized EU protection for non-agricultural products is essential to prevent infringements of intellectual property rights concerning crafts and industrial products. In addition, the application of geographical indications for non-agricultural products is an incentive for investment in traditional crafts.
Furthermore, the Regulation will encourage and enhance the quality of work among producers and encourage healthy competition for traditional crafts. Consequently, uniform protection across the EU for intellectual property rights related to geographical indications can create incentives for the production of quality products and help to combat counterfeiting.
It is therefore expected that geographical indications will protect handicraft products produced in Cyprus, such as:
-Embroidery from the village of Lefkara.
-Basket-weaving from the villages of Liopetri, Mesogi, Livadia and Troulli.
-Weaving from the village of Fiti in Paphos.
-Ceramic art from the villages of Fiti, Kornos, Agios Dimitrios, Kaminaria
-Mosaics in Paphos.
-Traditional costumes
