In brief
- From 1 December 2025, craft and industrial products will be able to benefit from geographical indication ("CIGI") protection across the EU, marking a significant expansion beyond traditional food and agricultural products. Examples of CIGIs already registered following the launch of the EU CIGI scheme include Limoges porcelain, Lenços de Namorados handkerchiefs, and Calais-Caudry lace.
- Protection is available for products such as textiles, jewellery and porcelain, provided they demonstrate a genuine link between their quality or characteristics and their geographical origin, irrespective of whether the products originate from within the EU.
- Producers in England, Scotland and Wales can seek EU CIGI protection by applying directly to the EUIPO. In the UK, they can also continue to protect such products through collective or certification trade marks. Producers in Northern Ireland will be able to seek EU CIGI protection (including within Northern Ireland) via the UKIPO.
Expanding the GI landscape
Geographical indications protect signs which identify products as originating from specific geographical areas, where the characteristics or reputation of the product are attributable to that origin. They prevent unauthorised use of such signs and have long protected renowned food and drink products such as Champagne and Parmigiano Reggiano. Certain Member States had provided protection also for craft and industrial products; the EU has now introduced a Regulation providing EU-wide protection for craft and industrial product names that are intrinsically linked to their place of origin, recognising that heritage techniques merit equivalent protection.
Registration of EU CIGIs
Craft and industrial products include two categories:
- Craft products - those made entirely by hand or with hand tools (including digital tools), where manual work constitutes a significant component of production; and
- Industrial products – products manufactured through standardised processes such as serial production or machinery-based manufacturing.
To qualify for CIGI protection, a craft or industrial product must meet the following criteria:
- Have a strong connection to the geographical origin (place, region or country);
- Have quality, reputation or other characteristics linked to the specific geographical origin; and
- Include at least one stage of production carried out in the specified geographical area.
The EUIPO's GI Division acts as the competent authority overseeing the registration process and maintains a GI portal providing a digital system for managing proceedings relating to CIGIs.
Applicants can include producer groups, single producers, local or regional authorities designated by Member States, or private entities.
For most EU-based applicants, registration follows a two-phase process, a National Phase and a Union Phase. Applicants from certain Member States (Denmark, Finland, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, and Sweden) can apply directly to the EUIPO, bypassing the national phase.
Non-EU applicants should follow the direct procedure at the EUIPO but must demonstrate that the GI is already protected in their country of origin. The European Commission has published a guide to the application process.
Any producer whose products meet the product specification can use a registered CIGI. Producers must self-declare that the product is compliant by submitting a declaration to their competent authority, before the product is placed on the market, and renewed every three years.
Benefits of protection
Once registered, CIGIs provide unitary EU-wide and indefinite protection.
Registering a CIGI offers producers significant economic, social and cultural benefits: it safeguards product authenticity, helps to prevent imitation, strengthens brand identity and improves access to high-value markets while supporting the local economy.
From 2 December 2026, national EU protection for craft and industrial GIs will cease to exist, making EU-wide registration essential for continued protection.
With the GIview register now live and several CIGIs already registered (such as Limoges porcelain), producers should monitor developments and assess whether their products meet the registration criteria.
Impact on UK craft and industrial products
Following Brexit, the UK established its own agricultural, food, wine and spirits GI schemes, but has not introduced a separate regime for craft and industrial products (compared to certain EU jurisdictions, however, the number of such products in the UK is fairly limited).
Instead, craft and industrial products, for example Harris Tweed and Sheffield steel, are protected via collective and certification marks, and this remains the avenue for protection in the UK. However, UK producers can submit applications for EU CIGIs provided, as noted above, they can demonstrate that the geographical indication is already protected in the country of origin. It remains to be seen whether this requirement will be met by a UK collective or certification mark (though it is understood to be acceptable for the EU agricultural GI schemes). As for producers in Northern Ireland, they will be able to apply for EU CIGIs via the UKIPO, although this scheme is not yet operational.
For further information about protection for geographical indications, and collective and certification marks, including for craft and industrial products, please get in touch with the Brands Team.