On 2 November the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) held the third session of the Working Group on the Development of the Lisbon System in a hybrid format.

Daren Tang opened the meeting, emphasizing the significance of the Lisbon system for the global culture and economy. Russian delegation took the floor with a joint statement on behalf of the CACEEC (Central Asian, Caucasus and Eastern European Countries Group) in the observing role.

On 26 February 2020, the Geneva Act of the Lisbon Agreement on Appellations of Origin and Geographical Indications officially entered into force, marking a significant milestone for the Lisbon System development. It significantly improved the protection system and widened the list of objects for IPR protection by including GIs.

The diversification of IPR objects allows for more careful consideration of existing national and regional protection systems in terms of distinctive designations of products where their quality is based on their origin.

During the meeting, the Working Group approved amendments to the Common Regulations under the Lisbon Agreement for the Protection of Appellations of Origin and their International Registration and the Geneva Act of the Lisbon Agreement on Appellations of Origin and Geographical Indications. The next session of the Lisbon Union Assembly will adopt the new 2bis provision that will excuse a delay in meeting time limits in case of war, revolution, civil disorder, strike, natural calamity, or other force majeure event, as well as in case of interruption of postal or delivery services and failure of electronic communication systems. These amendments were initiated as a response to the work disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Background Information:

The Lisbon Agreement for the Protection of Appellations of Origin and their International Registration was concluded on 31 October 1958 to establish international registration of appellations of origin that distinguish the products strongly linked to the place of their origin. On 20 May 2015 Geneva Act was concluded at the Diplomatic Conference (entered into force on 26 February 2020). It significantly improved the protection system and widened the list of objects for IPR protection by including GIs.

Lisbon system allows all right-holders to apply for protection of their AOs and GIs in several countries by submitting one application in one language, that significantly decreases the costs of registration.

Rospatent has prepared the documents for the accession of the Russian Federation to the Geneva Act, and they are currently being reviewed by administrative bodies.

You can find more information on the topic in the “Discussion of the Issue of Accession to the Geneva Act of the Lisbon Agreement for the International Registration of Appellations of Origin and Geographical Indications” section of the 24th Rospatent International Conference.