Geographical indication

The World Intellectual Property Organization states the definition plainly: "A geographical indication (GI) is a sign used on products that have a specific geographical origin and possess qualities or a reputation that are due to that origin." WIPO lists four main ways such signs are protected: "so-called sui generis systems (i.e. special regimes of protection)"; collective or certification marks; "methods focusing on business practices, including administrative product approval schemes"; and unfair competition laws.

The treaty wording is narrower. The United States Patent and Trademark Office quotes Article 22(1) of the WTO TRIPS Agreement, covering "indications which identify a good as originating in the territory of a Member, or a region or locality in that territory, where a given quality, reputation or other characteristic of the good is essentially attributable to its geographic origin". The USPTO explains that the United States protects such indications through its ordinary trade mark system, "usually as certification and collective marks".

Watchmaking has two examples that can be read in the law itself. "Swiss" for watches is governed by a dedicated industry ordinance; the Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property records that such sector ordinances exist for watches and cosmetics only. "Glashütte" is governed in Germany by the Regulation on the Protection of the Name Glashütte (GlashütteV) of 22 February 2022, issued under Section 137 of the German Trade Mark Act. German customs states the name may be used only where "more than 50 per cent of the value creation is achieved in the area of origin", with assembly, adjustment and encasing carried out in Glashütte itself.

What this Codex does not claim: that Geneva is protected in the same way. No instrument establishing "Genève" as an indication of source for watches was located and read for this entry, so none is described here.