Last week, on 18 March 2014, the new French Consumer Law (No 2014-344) of 17 March 2014 was published, introducing in its Articles 73 and 74 some innovative changes to the French Intellectual Property Code with reference to geographical indications.

In particular, it extends the protection of Protected Geographical Indications (until now limited to foodstuffs and agricultural products) to non-agricultural (such as hand crafted) goods also. 

Some more information here and here.

On EU level, the Commission is evaluating the feasibility of the protection of geographical indications protection for non-agricultural products, in the internal market. In March 2013 the Commission published the outcome of a research aiming at  studying the economic value and the existing legal frameworks to protect non-agricultural GIs in the EU and assessing the possibility to establish a specific and harmonized legal system at EU level for hand crafted GIs (the protection of which now is based on different national legislations and/or the trademark system).  

The study highlighted the huge potential of non-agricultural GIs in the EU, with nearly 834 products which could benefit from a specific EU system. In addition, a large majority of stakeholders consulted in the framework of the study appeared to be in favor of the establishment of an EU legal framework that would provide to the product names at issue effective protection against misappropriations and counterfeiting.