From Murano glass and Donegal tweed to Porcelaine de Limoges, the European Union wants to protect its traditional crafts and industrial products with new rules that will make it easier for consumers to identify authentic products from a particular region.
The European Commission said its proposed regulation on geographical indications for craft and industrial products will take aim at counterfeits and help boost local areas.
Geographical indications (GI) are already a cornerstone of EU agricultural and trade policy, designed to ensure that only products, food and wine from a given region can be identified as such.
The EU executive's proposal to extend the regulation to crafts and industries will need to be thrashed out with EU countries and lawmakers before it can become law. The system will replace national schemes in 16 EU countries and is expected to apply to about 800 products.
"Europe has an exceptional legacy of world-renown crafts and industrial products," EU industry chief Thierry Breton said in a statement.
"It is time that these producers benefit from a new intellectual property right, like food and wine producers, that will increase trust and visibility for their products, guaranteeing authenticity and reputation," he said.
The scheme will apply to products such as natural stones, jewellery, textiles, lace, cutlery, glass and porcelain, either handmade or mass-produced and made in a specific place with a quality or characteristic linked to its geographical origin.
EU producers of craft and industrial products can seek international protection for their products in countries which have signed up to the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Geneva Act.
(Reporting by Foo Yun Chee;Editing by Elaine Hardcastle)
