Geographical indication for craft and industrial products

A geographical indication for craft and industrial products is the name of a geographical area or specific place used to designate a product, other than an agricultural, forestry, food or seafood product, which originates there and has a given quality, reputation or other characteristics essentially attributable to that origin. It was created in French law by the Consumer Law of 17 March 2014, in Articles L. 721-2 et seq. of the French Intellectual Property Code, and is now also the subject of a European Union right established by Regulation (EU) 2023/2411, applicable since 1 December 2025.

The French regime

Protection arises from the approval, by the Director General of the INPI, of a product specification submitted by a protection and management body (organisme de défense et de gestion) that has legal personality and is representative of the operators. The specification defines the area, describes the product and the production or processing methods, such as cutting, extraction or manufacture, and organises checks by a certification body. The INPI conducts a two-month public inquiry before granting approval. Among others, Liffol seating (siège de Liffol), Brittany granite (granit de Bretagne), Limoges porcelain, Burgundy stone (pierre de Bourgogne), Aubusson tapestry and the Laguiole knife have been recognised in this way. Protection covers direct or indirect commercial use, misuse, imitation and evocation, and any such act constitutes infringement.

The European Union right

Regulation (EU) 2023/2411 creates unitary protection for geographical indications for craft and industrial products throughout the Union, under a two-phase procedure: a national phase of examination and opposition before the authority designated by the Member State, the INPI in France, followed by a phase before the EUIPO, which examines the application, receives oppositions and keeps the register. The scope of protection mirrors that of agricultural geographical indications, including against evocation and use in domain names. Existing national protections must be converted into EU rights, national regimes ceasing to have effect after a one-year transitional period, which requires French bodies to file their indications at EU level.

Litigation and coordination with trade marks

Infringement actions fall within the jurisdiction of the Judicial Court and are governed by the general regime of the French Intellectual Property Code, including saisie-contrefaçon. An approved indication bars the registration of a later trade mark that would conflict with it, and the holder of an earlier trade mark may only oppose approval if its mark has such a reputation that the indication would mislead consumers.

Key points

A geographical indication for craft and industrial products reserves a place name for manufactured goods whose quality or reputation derives from their origin, on the basis of a specification approved by the INPI, and since December 2025 an EU right granted by the EUIPO has been available. Producer groups should convert national indications into EU rights within the time limits, and every operator should check that there is no conflict before adopting a geographical name.

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This glossary entry is general in scope and does not constitute legal advice.

Dhenne Avocats is a patent litigation firm. Matters outside that field, such as trade marks, designs, copyright and IT contracts, are handled by practitioners the firm works with regularly, and by the firm itself when they arise in a patent dispute.

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