Geographical Indications and the Principles of Trade Mark Law – A Distinctly European Perspective

In the wake of the 2015 Revision of the Lisbon Agreement, one of the most-discussed issues was the conflict between trade marks and geographical indications. Yet one should not forget that trade marks and geographical indications are both identifiers of origin and as such should follow the same principles as apply to generic, misleading and confusing use, protection against dissimilar goods and protection as proprietary rights. These issues are further discussed in this article, whereby reference is made to a number of recent decisions most of which are published in this issue of IIC.