Since last Friday, February 2, the European Union has included the Valley of the Vineyards – a region in the South of Brazil that produces wine – in the list of areas protected by the EU.
Thanks to this measure the fizzy wines of that Brazilian region have been granted exclusiveness on the European market and legal protection in intellectual property. This information was disclosed by Brazil's Ministry of Foreign Relations.
The Brazilian Foreign Office (Itamaraty), in an official statement, also explained that the geographic indication Vale dos Vinhedos (Valley of the Vineyards) was the first registered in Brazil under the Industrial Property Law, in 1996.
The Itamaraty also states that the recognition from the EU is directly related to the Brazilian efforts to export greater added value products, which should be explored by other business sectors.
The protection to geographic indications is forecasted in the Agreement of Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights Related to Trade (Trips), of the World Trade Organization (WTO).
Although the intellectual property rights are defined as private, the request for registration of the geographic indication Valley of the Vineyards was made by the government of Brazil due to the demands of the legislation of the EU, according to the ministry.
The Committee of Management of European Union Wine, connected to the general management of the European Agricultural Commission, approved the request on January 23 and the inclusion itself took place on February 2.
