Geographical Indications and Transatlantic Trade Negotiations: Different US and EU Perspectives

Geographical Indications (GIs) – identifying products with characteristics that are attributable to their geographical origin – are a complex matter and are playing an important role in the debate on the on-going negotiations of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) between the EU and the US on trade in food products. TTIP aims to be a comprehensive trade and investment agreement capable of avoiding and solving major trade conflicts and overcoming several technical barriers to trade liberalisation across the Atlantic, including the use of GIs for products. But the ‘GI issue’ is not only about Intellectual Property (IP); it also has environmental, cultural and socio-economic dimensions and political implications. This article aims to throw light on the different EU and US perspectives in this debate.