DESCRIPTION
The Geographical Indications Committee activities concern the legal aspects of GIs and more specifically their difficult relation with trade marks and possibly other distinctive signs. Due to the fact that in quite a few countries GIs are protected by collective and/or certification marks, the Geographical Indications Committee is also active in this special domain. Consequently, the GI Committee establishes permanent relationships with EU entities such as DG AGRI (for GI Regulations), EUIPO (for absolute and relative grounds of examination in relation to GIs or for Regulations for which EUIPO is in charge) and WIPO (Lisbon Agreement). The Geographical Indications Committee will actively cooperate with other organizations dealing with GIs, such as OriGIn, and will follow judicial decisions and, more specifically, those relating to GIs and trade marks.

MISSION STATEMENT
The Mission of the Geographical Indications Committee is to get involved in all matters dealing with the relationship between both trade marks and Geographical Indications, and domain names and Geographical Indications. This includes their definition, their protection, their role in international trade and IP agreements, and, more specifically, the question of how to resolve conflicts between the said two forms of IP. The Committee will evaluate all arguments carefully and prepare the opinion and draft position papers that (once they have completed internal review and approval process) can be filed with the competent bodies, such as the European Commission, EUIPO, WIPO and other relevant institutions.