ARLINGTON, VA – The Consortium for Common Food Names (CCFN) sponsored an event at the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Committee on Development and Intellectual Property (CDIP) in Geneva on the importance of common name protections.
WIPO is a specialized agency of the United Nations, tasked with discussing and shaping international intellectual property (IP) rules and policies. Over the past decade, as the European Union (EU) has led an aggressive campaign to confiscate common names through filings and litigation, overly expansive interpretations and intimidation, and free trade negotiations with governments around the world, the issue of geographical indications (GIs) and their proper use has become an important issue among WIPO stakeholders.
“We’re seeing attempts to confiscate common names all over the globe, and the pace is not slowing down,” noted Jaime Castaneda, executive director for CCFN. “CCFN has been a bulwark for common food names, yet there has not been an equal counterweight to the EU’s GI campaign from other governments around the world. We are confident, however, that the more that governments learn about the issue, the more momentum we will see for implementing commonsense GI programs.”
The CCFN-sponsored event focused specifically on how governments can balance legitimate GIs with the rights of producers and users of common food and beverage names. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) and the Philippines PTO explained their approach to this important issue. Additionally, industry representatives from Dairy Australia and CCFN Chairman Jeff Schwager, former CEO of Sartori, shared their perspectives on how losing the ability to use common names affects everyone from producers and retailers to consumers and the world trading system at large. Economist Dr. Hazel Moir provided a realistic assessment of what can be expected from GIs and alternative approaches that do not interfere with common name rights.
“To people not familiar with common names or GIs, this may seem like a niche issue. However, protecting the right to use common names is fundamental to free trade and the intellectual property system, and very important to producers’ ability to export and thrive,” explained Ambassador Allen Johnson, CCFN’s Senior International Affairs Advisor. “We hope that through educational programs like this one, we can encourage further action from organizations and companies to encourage their governments to protect the rights of common name users and reject illegitimate GIs.”
About CCFN:
CCFN was founded 10 years ago with one main goal in mind: to ensure that everybody has the right to common names when marketing well-known foods and beverages. Over the last decade, CCFN has worked with leaders in agriculture, trade and intellectual property from around the world to promote a commonsense approach that protects both legitimate GIs and generic food names. Additional information can be found at www.commonfoodnames.com.
