Which has been true for food and wine for decades, is now also available for knives, Clocks, Porcelain or textiles: With the Regulation (BE) 2023/2411 can since then 1. December 2025 Names of craft and industrial products are protected as geographical indications across the EU.

Conditions

• The product comes from a specific place, a region or a country.
• Quality, Reputation or other characteristics are essentially due to this origin.
• At least one production step takes place in the area; There is a product specification for the product.

verfahren: first DPMA, then EUIPO

Applications are usually submitted by producer groups. That is in Germany DPMA responsible for the national phase: It examines the application, If necessary, carries out a national objection procedure and forwards it to the euipo weiter, which makes final decisions and maintains the Union Register. Additional regulations can be found in Sections 129a ff. Trademark Act.

Important deadline: 2. December 2026

Existing national protection regulations, for example for “Solingen” (cutlery) and “Glassworks” (Clocks), end on 2. December 2026, unless an effective application has been made at EU level by then.

What does that mean for you??

Manufacturer, whose products owe their reputation to a region, receive a strong collective protection right. employees, that use geographical designations in brands or product names, should check, whether there is a risk of conflict in the future. We advise you on Trademark.

Sources: Regulation (BE) 2023/2411; DPMA, Geographical origin information (dpma.de). General overview, no legal advice in individual cases. Stand: November 2026.