The Agricultural Cooperative “Union of Messinia” registered the “Kalamata Olive” into the International Register of the Geneva Act, after the Lisbon Agreement of the protected designation of origin (PDO), which protects the product name from a specific region and follows a particular traditional production process.
After the registration, the Union stated: “We continue steadfastly our efforts to safeguard and protect the globally renowned protected designation of origin, despite the attempts of some to abolish or undermine it by any means. We strengthen and invest in iconic PDOs with vision, plan, science, and seriousness”.
The Geneva Act is a treaty managed by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) that extends the purview of the Lisbon Agreement regarding the protection of designations of origin and their international registration to cover not only designations of origin but also geographical indications.
Additionally, it allows international organizations (such as the EU) to become contracting parties. Each contracting party of the Geneva Act is obliged to protect, within its territory, the designations of origin and geographical indications of products originating in other contracting parties.
Covering 72 countries, the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) will further protect the “Kalamata Olive” PDO from counterfeiting, imitation, and other unfair practices.
