Geographical indication is an important symbol of the origin of products and an important type of intellectual property. However, many people are still very vague about the concept of geographical indications in China, not clear about what exactly is a geographical indication, how to protect geographical indications, how to use the special sign of geographical indication and how to query the relevant information, etc. Foodmate has sorted out relevant knowledge points about geographical indication to help everyone quickly understand Chinese geographical indication.

I What is "geographical indication"?

Article 16 of the “Trademark Law of the People's Republic of China” stipulates that geographical indication refers to the sign indicating a certain product originates from a certain region, and the specific quality, reputation or other characteristics of the product are mainly determined by the natural or human factors of the region. China has a rich variety of geographical indication products, mainly agricultural products, such as "Jinhua ham", "Zhangqiu shallot", "Wuchang rice", "Yangcheng Lake hairy crab" and so on.

II Protection mode of geographical indications

At present, China's geographical indication adopts the protection mode of parallel trademark protection and special protection. For the two protection modes, Foodmate summarizes them from the aspects of competent authorities, laws and regulations, applicants and validity period, as shown in Table 1.

Table1 Protection mode of geographical indications

III Requirements for the Use of Special Geographical Indication

For geographical indication protected products and those geographical indications registered as collective trademarks or certification trademarks that use the specific geographical indications, the unified social credit code should be indicated in the designated position on the special geographical indication.

Geographical indication protected products that use the specific geographical indication must concurrently display both the specific geographical indication and the name of the geographical indication, and should also indicate on the product label or packaging the code number of the implemented geographical indication standard or the approval announcement number.

When a geographical indication is registered as a collective trademark or certification trademark and uses the specific geographical indication, it shall simultaneously display both the specific geographical indication and the corresponding collective or certification trademark. The registration number of the trademark must also be indicated.

IV Access to Geographical Indication Information

The public can query the information of geographical indication protected products, enterprises that use the special geographical indications and geographical indication registered trademarks on the official website of the State Intellectual Property Office. However, the data information of the system is not updated in real time, and there is a certain lag. The specific information shall be subject to the official announcement of the State Intellectual Property Office. In addition, the legitimate users of the special geographical indications can also download the basic pattern vector diagram of the special sign of geographical indication on this website.

In general, geographical indications are signs that carry rich human history and natural resources. They not only contain the efforts and wisdom of producers, but also demonstrate the characteristics and culture of a specific region. In the future, geographical indications will usher in broader development prospects. By strengthening intellectual property protection and improving relevant laws and regulations, the quality and brand influence of geographical indication products can be further improved.