On 28 July 2024, during the visit of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni to China, the Italian Ambassador to China, Massimo Ambrosetti, signed two MOUs on GI protection - “Memorandum of Understanding between China National Intellectual Property Administration and the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Forestry of the Italian Republic” with Shen Changyu, Director of China National Intellectual Property Administration (“CNIPA”), and “Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation and Protection of Geographical Indications between the People’s Republic of China and the Italian Republic, Action Plan on Cooperation in Food Safety Supervision (2024-2026)” with Luo Wen, Director of the State Administration for Market Regulation of the People’s Republic of China (“SAMR”), respectively, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. Both of them involve cooperation arrangements between the two countries in relation to geographical indications.
According to the memorandum signed with CNIPA, China and Italy agreed to cooperate in exchanging geographical indication laws and policies, product promotion, and event organization to promote economic and trade exchanges between the two countries. According to the memorandum signed with the SAMR, China and Italy will establish a bilateral communication and cooperation mechanism to carry out information sharing and technical cooperation to strengthen the protection of geographical indications, and improve the effectiveness of combating infringement and counterfeiting of geographical indications.
Currently, China implements three sets of geographical indication protection systems. The first set of systems is governed by Agricultural Law of the People’s Republic of China, Agricultural Product Quality and Safety Law of the People’s Republic of China and Measures for the Administration of Geographical Indications of Agricultural Products. According to this system, the Ministry of Agriculture of the People’s Republic of China is responsible for approving the registration of geographical indications of agricultural products. The second set of systems is based on the laws and regulations such as Trademark Law of the People’s Republic of China, Regulation on the Implementation of the Trademark Law of the People’s Republic of China and Administrative Measures Concerning the Registration of Collective Marks and Certification Marks. According to this system, the SAMR approves geographical indications registered as collective and certification trademarks. The third set of systems is governed by Product Quality Law of the People’s Republic of China, Standardization Law of the People’s Republic of China, Law of the People’s Republic of China on Import and Export Commodity Inspection and Provisions on the Protection of Geographical Indication Products. According to this system, the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection, and Quarantine of the People’s Republic of China is responsible for approving geographical indication products for protection.
According to the Intellectual Property Statistics Brief published by CNIPA on 13 August 2024, as of July 2024, China has approved a total of 2,523 geographical indication products, approved a total of 7,384 registrations of geographical indications as collective marks and certification marks, and approved 30,551 entities to use geographical indication special marks.
Italy is the country with the most protected designations of origin and protected geographical indications for agricultural products in the EU. The excellence of its agricultural products is closely linked to their origin. The signing of the two memorandums will facilitate the cross-regional sales of agricultural products between China and Italy, providing consumers with higher traceability and food safety guarantees in the two countries.
According to the memorandum signed with CNIPA, China and Italy agreed to cooperate in exchanging geographical indication laws and policies, product promotion, and event organization to promote economic and trade exchanges between the two countries. According to the memorandum signed with the SAMR, China and Italy will establish a bilateral communication and cooperation mechanism to carry out information sharing and technical cooperation to strengthen the protection of geographical indications, and improve the effectiveness of combating infringement and counterfeiting of geographical indications.
Currently, China implements three sets of geographical indication protection systems. The first set of systems is governed by Agricultural Law of the People’s Republic of China, Agricultural Product Quality and Safety Law of the People’s Republic of China and Measures for the Administration of Geographical Indications of Agricultural Products. According to this system, the Ministry of Agriculture of the People’s Republic of China is responsible for approving the registration of geographical indications of agricultural products. The second set of systems is based on the laws and regulations such as Trademark Law of the People’s Republic of China, Regulation on the Implementation of the Trademark Law of the People’s Republic of China and Administrative Measures Concerning the Registration of Collective Marks and Certification Marks. According to this system, the SAMR approves geographical indications registered as collective and certification trademarks. The third set of systems is governed by Product Quality Law of the People’s Republic of China, Standardization Law of the People’s Republic of China, Law of the People’s Republic of China on Import and Export Commodity Inspection and Provisions on the Protection of Geographical Indication Products. According to this system, the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection, and Quarantine of the People’s Republic of China is responsible for approving geographical indication products for protection.
According to the Intellectual Property Statistics Brief published by CNIPA on 13 August 2024, as of July 2024, China has approved a total of 2,523 geographical indication products, approved a total of 7,384 registrations of geographical indications as collective marks and certification marks, and approved 30,551 entities to use geographical indication special marks.
Italy is the country with the most protected designations of origin and protected geographical indications for agricultural products in the EU. The excellence of its agricultural products is closely linked to their origin. The signing of the two memorandums will facilitate the cross-regional sales of agricultural products between China and Italy, providing consumers with higher traceability and food safety guarantees in the two countries.