Alicante Products Seek European Brand Protection

Artisanal and industrial products can now also benefit from a Protected Geographical Indication. The European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) will open the application period for this new protection mechanism on December 1st. This new figure was presented to companies at the Alicante headquarters of the Valencian Community Business Confederation (CEV) during a conference titled 'Valuing Origin: An Opportunity for Alicante'.

Throughout the conference, experts from the EUIPO and the Generalitat shared the emerging opportunities, while representatives from Designations of Origin such as Vinalopó Table Grapes and Jijona Nougat provided their insights on these brand protection mechanisms.

The new European quality seal will allow Alicante industries to protect their various brands. The CEV estimates that between eight and nine sectors and associations could apply for this industrial and artisanal PGI. This was confirmed by the vice president of the employers' association in Alicante, Eva Toledo, who stated that up to nine groups could potentially benefit from this seal.

Toledo explained to the media that some are already in advanced stages of application, such as Crevillent carpets or Alicante marble, while other products like Elche and Elda footwear, Onil dolls, or Agost ceramics could also qualify for the quality seal. There are even other sectors that still require preliminary work but could achieve it, such as Gata de Gorgos wicker.

"Both Crevillent carpets and Alicante marble have advanced in gathering and recovering history, although others like Vinalopó footwear and Onil dolls are also in a good position," stated the vice president of the CEV.

This is confirmed by the Director General of Entrepreneurship and Internationalisation, Ester Olivas, who assures that in the Generalitat "we have had many sectors interested in the province of Alicante" and indicates that "many products could be registered and benefit from the Protected Geographical Indication". An instrument that requires meeting all the requested conditions to access it.

Olivas argues that it has been proven that with DOs and PGIs "production, sales, competitiveness, and positioning increase," while highlighting their importance in protecting against counterfeiting. "We have many imitation products that sometimes cause the most harm to our artisanal products, and this figure would protect them," states the head of the area in the Generalitat.

The conference focused on the benefits of these brand protection figures. The president of the CEV in Alicante, Joaquín Pérez, highlighted the need to "value the products of our land" and indicated that these mechanisms "are an added value that remains over time," while citing the example of the Elche Pomegranate.

Various DOs from the province of Alicante also participated in the conference. The director of the DO for bagged table grapes from Vinalopó, Beatriz Rocamora, emphasized the importance of brand protection as a mechanism for "positioning in a global market, protection against imitations, and territorial structuring concerning the protected area."

Regarding the presentation by the secretary of the DO Jijona Nougat, Federico Moncunill, it addressed the advantages associated with a European quality seal "which certifies the quality of the product and origin and serves as protection against fraud."