China promotes protection of geographical indications: IP authority

BEIJING, Sept. 14 (Xinhua) -- In recent years, China has actively promoted the protection of geographical indications (GI), with 2,523 GI products approved and 7,385 GI trademarks registered as of the end of August, the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) said Saturday.

The GI sign is used to show the specific geographical origin of a product and identify its qualities or reputation due to that origin. It is an important type of intellectual property right and a quality guarantee.

The direct annual output value of China's GIs has increased consistently since 2020. In 2023, the direct output value of GIs in China surpassed 961 billion yuan (133.7 billion U.S. dollars), the CNIPA revealed at the 13th China Intellectual Property Annual Conference in Beijing.

Hu Wenhui, deputy commissioner of the CNIPA, said the quality and quantity of China's GI products and trademarks ranks among the top in the world. He also highlighted international cooperation, saying that China looks forward to working with the global community to bring greater benefits to the people and contribute to the high-quality economic development.

During the conference, experts, scholars and business representatives from home and abroad shared their experiences, exploring new models for global GI cooperation.