Lisbon Agreement For The Protection Of Appellations Of Origin And Their International Registration

Summary of Lisbon Agreement For The Protection Of Appellations Of Origin And Their International Registration

An international agreement to protect appellations of origin that are defined as the “geographical name of a country, region, or locality, which serves to designate a product originating therein, the quality and characteristics of which are due exclusively or essentially to the geographical environment, including natural and human factors.”Examples of such appellations of origin include champagne and madeira (wine), limoges (ceramics), and Havana (cigars). A contracting state submits to the World Intel-Lectual Property Organization (read this and related legal terms for further details) (WIPO) a listing of the names for which it seeks protection; WIPO transmits these names to the other contracting states. Each state adhering to the convention is permitted one year within which it may declare its inability to protect the appellation transmitted by WIPO. In the absence of a formal declaration within the one-year period, or upon expiry of that period, each adhering state is obliged to protect the internationally registered name so long as it is protected in the country of origin.

The agreement was adopted in 1958 and was amended at Stockholm in 1967. On March 15, 1983, the following states were adherents to the Lisbon Agreement: Algeria, Bulgaria, Congo, Cuba, Czechoslovakia, France, Gabon, Haiti, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Mexico, Portugal, Togo, Tunisia, Upper Volta.

(Main Author: William J. Miller)