This update is to help ECTA members and IP community at large stay informed about upcoming ECTA events and plan ahead. Registration links and further details will be shared via direct email communication in due course.If you are not a member and would like to receive updates on ECTA events and activities, please email ecta@ecta.org to be included on our mailing list.26 February 2026ECTA Round Table on weak marks and the assessment of likelihood of confusion - Alicante, SpainIn collaboration with the University of Alicante and Magister LvcentinvsOpen to allMore information will follow5 March 2026ECTA ®ETREAT "UPC - A Success Story?" - Munich, GermanySponsored by: rwzh Rechtsanwälte; CMS Legal Services EEIG; MSP Müller Schupfner & PartnerOpen to allMore information will follow17-20 June 2026ECTA 44th Annual Conference “Green Light for Growth” - Dublin, IrelandOpen to allRegistration is expected to open at the end of January / beginning of February 2026.15-17 October 2026  ECTA Autumn Meeting - Porto, PortugalOpen to ECTA Supervisory Board and Committee members onlyMore information will followSpring 2027  ECTA ®ETREAT - The Hague, The NetherlandsIn collaboration with The Benelux Office for Intellectual PropertyMore information will follow

Dear ECTA Family and ECTA Friends,We wish you a joyful holiday season filled with peace and happiness, and we look forward to staying in touch in 2026!

By Angelica Lodigiani, Barzanó & Zanardo, ECTA Geographical Committee Vice-Chair, ItalyThe EU Regulation 2023/2411 on the protection of geographical indications for craft and industrial products - also known as "CIGIs" - officially took effect yesterday.With the regulation now in force, EU producers of CIGIs can apply for EU-wide protection through a single application process, filed either with the national competent authorities (Standard procedure) or the EUIPO (Direct procedure), depending on the applicable rules. Applications for products originating in non-EU countries must be filed before the EUIPO either by the applicants themselves, or via the competent authorities of their respective countries. A single registration grants a non-expirable protection across the EU.Further details about the filing process can be found on the GIportal informative page and the Commission CIGI website.The European Commission has also published Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/1956, which establishes detailed rules for applying the main Regulation. The guiding principles behind this legislation are uniformity, legal certainty, clarity, transparency, and efficiency. The implementing regulation addresses key areas, including the contents of GI applications, the Union register and digital system for electronic submissions, examination, opposition and cancellation procedures, EUIPO fees, and mutual assistance and cooperation between Member States for controls, enforcement, and communication.To boost awareness and consumer recognition, the implementing regulation introduces a Union symbol and abbreviation, along with clear rules for their use, thus aligning CIGIs with other GI schemes. This regulation establishes a fully operational CIGI framework, ensuring a clearer, more efficient and more transparent system.During the coming months, we will see how operators, particularly those in countries that previously lacked a national registration system for non-agricultural GIs, adapt to this new framework.We inform ECTA members that the free online course “Craft and Industrial Geographical Indications in a nutshell” is open and can be accessed here. All relevant information about the new scheme, how to apply, how to search for CIGIs, next steps, FAQs, webinars, workshops and events on the topic can be found in the GI Hub on the EUIPO website.ECTA, particularly through its ECTA Geographical Indications Committee, has been actively following the evolution of the CIGI regulatory framework since the outset, by providing comments on the various draft regulations and EUIPO's guidelines, as needed, preparing position papers on the subject, regularly exchanging with EUIPO and EU Commission representatives to brief the Committee members on the upcoming changes, as well as organising dedicated workshops on this topic. This includes the most recent workshop on the current state of play for non-agricultural GIs and recent GI case law that I had the pleasure of moderating during the ECTA Autumn Meeting in Lyon.

By Maria Antonella Incardona (WIPO-Link and Law Committee, Luppi IP, Italy)After the launch of the new eMadrid portal in September 2025, WIPO has announced that the former eMadrid webpages will be retired on 2 December 2025.From that date, the legacy pages will no longer be available, and users will be redirected to the new eMadrid environment, which has now become the default interface for Madrid System transactions. A separate standalone “Manage your registrations” page will remain accessible only for urgent matters or when log in to the new eMadrid is not possible.Users are encouraged to access the new system with their WIPO Account and verify that all their international registrations and pending applications appear in the workbench. To find out more details, please read the official WIPO news here and the new eMadrid FAQ page here.WIPO’s recent IT updates are part of a broader effort to bring all Madrid System services into a single and up-to-date platform. ECTA - particularly through its WIPO-Link Committee - will continue to follow these changes and collect members’ input and feedback on the new tools, to ensure a balanced transition and monitor alignment with users’ needs.