Andean Community Seminar Highlights Importance of Appellations of Origin and Geographical Indications

By PPO Abogados

The countries of the Andean Community (CAN) concluded their participation in an international seminar held in the Peruvian city of Cusco in which the importance of strengthening the preservation of their intangible resources through appellations of origin and geographical indications was highlighted.

The seminar "Geographical Indications and Appellations of Origin in the Andean Community" was organized for three days by IP Key Latin America, an intellectual property project led by the European Commission and implemented by the European Union Intellectual Property Office (Euipo).

The meeting brought together European experts, intellectual property officials from the region, local authorities, and producers to discuss the benefits of appellations of origin and geographical indications for the economic and social development of producers and artisans in the CAN countries.

Appellations of origin and geographical indications are intellectual property rights that protect the names of products that are specific to a particular geographical region and have qualities or characteristics that are essentially due to that region.

Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru share a history, culture, and traditions, as well as geographical conditions that influence the expression of unique products.

The head of IP Key Latin America, Carlos Azorín, said that designations of origin and geographical indications favor economic development because products with these certifications have a higher market value.

Narcisa Vladulescu, Chargé d'Affaires of the European Union delegation in Peru, stressed the great importance of promoting the protection of geographical indications so that Andean producers and agroexporters can avoid "imitations and usurpations of rights" in international markets.

During the meeting, it was pointed out that among the requirements for the appellation of origin is that the product must be in demand in the local and international market, as well as being of a collective nature, with several producers.

The seminar also provided an opportunity to publicize the emblematic products of the countries of the integration bloc, such as Bolivian quinoa, Colombian coffee, Ecuadorian cacao and Peruvian pisco.