The Protection of Geographical Indications in the UK after Brexit - The Design of a Sui Generis System

英国退出欧盟将给英国的知识产权权利人以及其他27个成员国的利益相关者带来巨大的不确定性。对地理标志的保护是一个突出的问题，如梅尔顿·莫布雷PORK PIE和苏格兰威士忌。目前，其他欧盟成员国可以通过在整个欧盟注册“受保护的原产地名称”（PDO）或“受保护的地理标志”（PGI）来保护地理标志免受英国滥用。英国退欧将消除英国的这一保护途径。DEFRA和UKIPO都在考虑设计国内制度的问题。有迫切需要研究，比较和系统地，在英国建立国家立法保护地理标志，可与欧盟法律。该研究项目旨在为英国的特殊地理标志制度的设计提供信息，并在我博士研究的基础上提出政策选择建议。研究将主要探讨：（1）地理标志保护的理论基础，以英国脱欧后的情况为经验基础。至于其他类别的知识产权，如专利，版权和商标，失去欧盟成员国身份在一段时间内不会影响英国的国家法律，但地理标志案件不同。由于没有欧盟的地理标志专门制度，目前在地理标志保护方面没有与之相当的平行国内法;（2）商标法与地理标志专门制度在保护方面的差异。这将主要从用户和受这些制度影响的其他人的角度对认证和集体商标制度与欧盟地理标志条例进行比较。目的有两个：（a）就不同制度的实际运作提供经验证据，以及（B）解释为何尽管英国的国内法容许在商标法内提供某些地理标志保护，但英国仍需要一个独特的制度;（3）主要使用者较喜欢的保护模式，以及为何在欧盟，部分（而非全部）产品指定组织/产品指定组织亦注册为商标。探讨这一选择为何被采纳或被拒绝是有意义的。有必要从双重保护的主要用户中选择案例研究，例如PDO PARMIGIANO REGGIANO的注册人Consorzio Del Formaggio Parmigiano Reggiano将该商标注册为欧盟商标系统中的几个图形商标。相比之下，帕尔玛火腿和LUBECKER MARZIPAN在整个欧盟范围内作为PDO受到保护，但没有注册为商标：将探讨这种方法。此外，英国地理标志的情况下，如梅尔顿·莫布雷猪肉馅饼和斯蒂尔顿奶酪也将被审查，以探讨英国生产商的需求和期望;（4）在英国设计一个独特的地理标志系统的潜在挑战。是否有可能在设计自成一类的制度时避免与其他现行制度发生冲突？从中国的法律的框架中可以学到很多东西，中国的地理标志保护有两种模式和三种登记制度，中国和英国在地理标志方面有很多共同点。此外，该奖学金将为我提供一个很好的机会，与英国和中国的学术和非学术观众联系，以了解他们在地理标志保护方面的知识和经验。这不仅对拟议的研究具有重要意义，而且对英国未来的利益也具有重要意义。一旦完成了关于地理标志的国内立法，下一步将是寻求关于地理标志保护的双边或多边协议，以便在国际市场上更好地保护英国地理标志。因此，学术交流和讨论有助于加强中英两国在地理标志保护方面的合作。最后，该奖学金将提高我的研究技能，并通过产生更多可发表的作品，包括我的博士论文和拟议的研究，建立我的学术记录。

The withdrawal of the UK from the EU creates great uncertainty for intellectual property right holders in the UK as well as stakeholders from the other 27 Member States. The protection of geographical indications (GIs), such as MELTON MOWBRAY PORK PIE and SCOTCH WHISKY, is a prominent issue. Currently, the other EU Member States can secure GI protection against misuse in the UK by registering a 'protected designation of origin' (PDO) or 'protected geographical indication' (PGI) throughout the EU. Brexit will remove that avenue for protection in the UK. DEFRA and UKIPO have both been considering the issue of designing a domestic regime. There is a pressing need to research, comparatively and systematically, the establishment of national legislative protection for GIs in the UK that is comparable to EU law. The fellowship aims to inform the design of a sui generis GI system for the UK and recommend policy choices on the basis of my doctoral research.The research will mainly explore: (1) the theoretical foundation of GI protection which is empirically grounded in the case of the UK post-Brexit. With regard to other categories of IP rights such as patent, copyright and trade marks, the loss of EU membership will not affect UK national law for some time, but the GI case is different. Without the EU sui generis GI system, there is no equivalent parallel domestic law at present in terms of GI protection; (2) the differences between trade mark law and the sui generis system in regards to GI protection. This will mainly draw on the comparison of certification and collective mark systems and EU GI regulations from the perspective of users and others affected by these regimes. The purpose is twofold: (a) to provide empirical evidence of the practical operation of different regimes, and (b) to explain why the UK needs a sui generis system even though domestic law allows for some GI protection within trade mark law; (3) the preferred models of protection for the main users and the reasons why, in the EU, some, but not all, PDOs/PGIs are also registered as trade marks. It is of significance to explore why this option is adopted or rejected. A case study chosen from main users of dual protection is necessary, such as Consorzio Del Formaggio Parmigiano Reggiano, the registrant of the PDO PARMIGIANO REGGIANO, registered the mark as several figurative marks in the EU trade mark system. PARMA HAM and LUBECKER MARZIPAN, by contrast, are protected throughout the EU as PDOs but are not registered as trade marks: this approach will be explored. In addition, cases of UK GIs, such as MELTON MOWBRAY PORK PIE and STILTON CHEESE will also be examined to explore the needs and expectations of UK producers; (4) the potential challenges of the design of a sui generis GI system in the UK. Is it possible to design the sui generis system in such a way as to avoid conflicts with other existing regimes? Lessons can be drawn from the Chinese legal framework where two models and three registration systems for GI protection exist, with many commonalities between China and the UK in terms of GIs.In addition, the fellowship will offer me a great opportunity to liaise with academic and non-academic audiences in the UK and China in order to understand their knowledge and experience of GI protection. It is of significance not only to the proposed research but also to the interests of the UK in the future. Once the domestic legislation on GIs is done, the next step will be to pursue bilateral or multilateral agreements on GI protection in order to better protect UK GIs in the international market. Therefore, academic communication and discussion is helpful to enhance the cooperation on GI protection between the UK and China.Finally, the fellowship will enhance my research skills and build my academic track record by producing more publishable works, including my PhD thesis and the proposed research.