The EU system for Geographical Indications for Crafts and Industrial Products now includes 90 entries across 9 countries, with 45 fully registered. It has also reached a new stage. For the first time, a registered craft GI is being brought into the EU customs system used to stop suspected counterfeit goods at the border.
Another first for Porcelaine de Limoges
Porcelaine de Limoges was the first craft GI registered under the new EU system. Now it has another first.
Its producer group has submitted an Application for Action through the EUIPO Intellectual Property Enforcement Portal. GI registration protects the product name and its link to a particular place. If producers also want customs authorities to look for suspected counterfeits entering the EU, they need to provide customs with the information needed to recognise them. This is done through an Application for Action. The system is already used for trade marks, registered designs and agricultural GIs. It is now being put to use for craft and industrial GIs as well.
Malta enters the system with a traditional wall clock
Malta has filed the craft GI application for the Arloġġ tal-Lira. The traditional decorative wall clock is made individually. Its solid wood case is carved by hand, covered with layers of gesso and water gilded using 23.5-carat gold leaf, which is then burnished with agate stones. The dials are hand painted with local landscapes or heraldic symbols. The Arloġġ tal-Lira is the first Maltese product to enter the Geographical Indications for Crafts and Industrial Products system.
photo: Arloġġ tal-Lira, Malta Crafts Foundation