Geographic Indications in Brazil and their socio-environmental dimensions: gaps and opportunities of the Brazilian GI regulation for agricultural products

Abstract

Geographic Indications (GIs) are an internationally recognized form of protection for goods based on their quality or reputation. They are a relatively new instrument in Brazil and became relevant for law and policymaking after the signature of the 1994 Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS Agreement). Despite being established by the Intellectual Property Law in 1996, only six GIs had been registered in Brazil before 2010. After that, the number of GIs registered in the country increased significantly, reaching 65 GIs in 2019. Over this past decade, growing environmental concerns relating to biodiversity, climate change, and the overexploitation of natural resources also marked the GIs development in Brazil. There is an ongoing debate among scholars and practitioners on the role of GIs in promoting sustainable agricultural development. This debate considers that there is a strong connection between a good’s quality and origins and its sustainable production...