International registration

Once the name of a designation of origin or geographical indication of a product has been entered in the Union register of geographical indications, this protection can be extended to states outside the Union — that is, an application may be made for its registration in the International Register of the World Intellectual Property Organization under the Geneva Act of the Lisbon Agreement on Appellations of Origin and Geographical Indications.

International registration is applied for through the European Commission (agricultural products, wine and spirit drinks) or through the European Union Intellectual Property Office (craft and industrial products).

The authority competent for communication and for filing applications with the European Commission (EC) and the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) on behalf of the Slovak Republic is the Industrial Property Office of the Slovak Republic (the Office); this means that a Slovak entity files its application with the Office.

The filing of an application for the registration of a designation of origin or geographical indication of a product in the WIPO International Register is subject to a fee of 1000 CHF and any individual fees (https://www.wipo.int/lisbon/en/fees/ind_taxes.html) set by certain Contracting Parties to the Geneva Act of the Lisbon Agreement on Appellations of Origin and Geographical Indications, where the applicant has chosen protection in one or more of those Contracting Parties. The fees must be paid by the applicant (producer group / producer) directly to the International Bureau of the World Intellectual Property Organization.

Detailed information on the international protection of designations of origin and geographical indications, legislation, fees, individual fees and the Contracting Parties can be found on the WIPO Lisbon System website.