The Worldwide Symposium on Geographical Indications is taking place in Tbilisi. In a follow-up to yesterday’s post, Ozlem Futman of the MARQUES GI Team reports on the second day’s discussions.

The second day of the Worldwide Symposium on Geographical Indications, held in Tbilisi, Georgia, by WIPO, began with presentations on the value of geographical indications in tourism and wine tourism. The panel examined how GIs contribute to tourism and development, using highly successful examples such as Visit Napa Valley and Tequila.

Thailand and India

Thailand’s focus on GIs within its 20-year tourism development programme was also discussed, highlighting the updates made to the packaging of GI products and the programme’s initiatives, including dedicated pages promoting GI products in airline magazines.

Listening to India’s efforts in GI products and tourism was also inspiring. The logistics, sales and marketing aspects of products that need to be consumed quickly, as well as the issues surrounding quality control of produced GI products, were discussed both throughout the presentation and in the subsequent Q&A session, where participants raised questions and engaged in discussions.

As emphasized in the first panel of the afternoon, the demand for local or regional products is a global trend. As this trend continues to develop, the importance of increasing efforts and creating a global common ground for GI protection was underscored.

Following these observations, the representative of the Consortium for Common Food Names (CCFN) gave a presentation that included consumer-focused counterarguments, after expressing their respect for GI protection. The subsequent discussion and Q&A session after the CCFN presentation made it one of the most interesting panels of the Symposium, with active participation from other panellists and attendees.

Cooperation for GIs

The last panel of the day focused on cooperation for GIs. After listening to the panellists, I thought the panel title could have been "Recognition of GIs is not an end but a start."

The panellists represented institutional structures such as WIPO, FAO, USPTO and OAPI. The panellist representing the USPTO provided an informative presentation on the examination of certification mark applications in the United States and the criteria considered during the examination.

The other panellists shared the supportive projects they have undertaken in the field of GIs within their respective organisations, the results they have achieved and the insights they have gained from project implementation. We also learned from the WIPO representative’s presentation that WIPO will be starting a new project with Brazil soon.

At the end of the day, the panel portion of the Symposium concluded, but the socialisation part continues. On Friday 16 June, foreign participants take part in a trip to Château Mukhrani, the first royal Château of Georgia.

Ozlem Futman is Founding Partner of OFO VENTURA in Turkey and a member of the MARQUES GI Team. Her report on day 1 of the Symposium is available here.