EU registering protection for F&B goods as FTA with Singapore nears

Singapore

WITH the EU-Singapore free trade agreement (EUSFTA) set to come into force by the end of the year, the European Union (EU) has submitted 138 mostly food and beverage-related geographical indications (GIs) for approval here, with 100 successful registrations received to date.

As a form of intellectual property, GI applications are approved by the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS), which opened its GI registry in April. The EUSFTA requires that Singapore recognise some of the EU's GIs.