China’s State Administration for Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ) and French Embassy in China jointly celebrated first foreign product under geographical indication protection in China, Congac, at a news conference on February 23.

An official from AQSIQ said that the approval gave a good expression that the Chinese government attached great importance to the IPR protection. Protection for the congac flagged that cooperation on geographical indication protection between the two countries entered a substantial phase.

Early in January 2009, Congac Industry Office in France applied for protection for Congac of geographical indication to AQSIQ. Based on the “Understanding Memorandum on Geographical Indication between China and EU, Rules on Product Quality, Standardization and Commodity Inspection”, AQSIQ sincerely examined and approved the application in December 2009, after referred to China's Regulation for Geographical Indication Protection.

Source: China IP News