Strong protection

Jing Yunchuan, director of Gaopeng Law Firm and vice-president of the Beijing Intellectual Property Research Association, said the agreement has a robust legal framework that enhances mutual protection of distinctive agricultural products.

The list of GI items serves as a checklist for enforcement. This allows customs and judicial authorities in China and the EU to protect listed products directly without the need for years of scrutiny and case-by-case reviews, Jing said.

An example of the streamlined enforcement took place in August 2023, when market regulators in Yingshang county, Anhui province, investigated a local brewery for the unauthorized use of "Munich Beer" on its labels — a name protected as an EU GI.

The brewery was found to have used the Chinese characters for "Munich Beer" alongside a trademark, a practice deemed potentially misleading to consumers regarding the product's origin. The case was ruled a violation of China's Trademark Law, and the brewery was ordered to rectify the issue and faced penalties.

Yan Wenjun, a professor at the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences' School of Intellectual Property, said it is essential to strengthen cross-border law enforcement and raise consumer awareness of GI products to transform GIs from legal labels into genuine market value.

Yan said future efforts could focus on expanding the list of protected products and aligning China's premium agricultural products with EU origin standards. In addition, he proposed including intangible cultural heritages, such as Jingdezhen porcelain, Xuan paper and Suzhou embroidery, to grant them strong commercial protection in Europe.

jihaisheng@chinadaily.com.cn