Geographical branding: a risky practice in eu law?

Authors

  • Caroline Le Goffic

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.36151/RPIID.2025.2.1.04

Keywords:

trade marks, geographical names, geographical indications

Abstract

“Geographical marks”, i.e. marks made up of place names, are highly prized by trademark owners for their evocative power. However, these marks face major legal obstacles throughout their existence. If their birth is often painful, their life is not necessarily more peaceful. Suffering from a congenital handicap, geographical marks suffer from major weaknesses. Should geographical marks therefore be “killed”? This study sets out to debate the question.

Author Biography

  • Caroline Le Goffic

    Professor of private law at the University of Lille

    Director of the Industrial Property Master’s program

    Co-director of the Private Law Applied Research Team (LERADP)

    Co-director of the Lille-Alicante international associated research laboratory

    Associate member of the CEIPI research laboratory (university of Strasbourg)

References

AZÉMA, J. & GALLOUX, J.-C., Droit de la propriété industrielle, LexisNexis, 8th. ed., 2017.

BASIRE, Y., «La tromperie en droit des marques» : Légipresse 2020, p. 85.

CHARLIER, C. & NGO, M.-A., “An Analysis of the European Communities: Protection of Trademarks and Geographical Indications for Agricultural Products and Foodstuffs Dispute”: Journal of World Intellectual Property, 2007, vol. 10, n° 3-4, p. 171.

GEVERS, F., « L'usage à titre de marque des noms et signes géographiques » : PIBD 1991, n° 419, II, p. 2.

LE GOFFIC, C., La protection des indications géographiques, France, Union européenne, États-Unis, LexisNexis, 2010.

MONTERO GARCíA NOBLEJAS, P., Denominaciones de Origen e Indicaciones Geográficas, Tirant Lo Blanch, 2016.

RAITH, R., “Recent WTO and ECJ Jurisprudence Concerning the Protection of Geographical Indications”: International Trade Law & Regulation 2009, vol. 15 (4), no. 119.

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Published

2025-01-29

Issue

Vol. 2 No. 1 (2025)

Section

Estudios

License

Copyright (c) 2025 Revista propiedad intelectual e innovación digital

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

How to Cite

Geographical branding: a risky practice in eu law?. (2025). Revista Propiedad Intelectual E innovación Digital, 2(1), 99-118. https://doi.org/10.36151/RPIID.2025.2.1.04