Peru observes four patent applications related to Pisco

By Espinosa Bellido Abogados

In coordination with the Peruvian Foreign Ministry, the National Commission Against Biopiracy observed four patent applications filed in the German IP Office (UAIPIT) related to Pisco, an appellation of origin that is reserved for the alcoholic beverage belonging to a variety of grape aguardiente produced in Peru since the late 16th century. “Such patent applications are undue since they do not have an inventive level, a fundamental requirement of patentability required by the German patent law”, the commission said in a press release.

The commission, part of the National Institute for the Defense of Competition and the Protection of Intellectual Property (Indecopi) of Peru, is focused in protecting access to genetic resources of Peruvian origin and the collective knowledge of indigenous peoples. Through a technical report, it argued before the UAIPIT that the four applications filed by the German citizen do not have the necessary requirements to be granted since they refer to the Quebranta type of grape. “That variety of grape is used in Peru for the production of alcoholic beverages, including pisco, in a traditional way, using methods already known, so that patent applications would lack the inventive level," the statement said.