ALICANTE, July 21 — The shift is subtle but significant: the European Union Intellectual Property Office is no longer just the gatekeeper for trade marks and designs. From December 1, 2025, EUIPO will be accepting applications for geographical indication protection on craft and industrial products — think handmade Murano glass or Solingen knives, not just Parmigiano-Reggiano. What’s changing is that intellectual property protection is moving out of the strictly industrial or agricultural boxes and into a blended space where provenance meets artisan skill.
EUIPO, based in Alicante, Spain, traces its roots to 1994, when it was known as the Office for Harmonization in the Internal Market. A 2016 rebranding and a major reform of its fee structure marked the agency’s shift toward a digital, user-pays model.
Under that system, an online EU trade mark application costs 850 euros for one class, 50 euros for the second class, and 150 euros each for any additional classes beyond three. The earlier basic fee had covered three classes in a single payment.
New GI scheme for craft and industrial goods
The geographical indication regulation for craft and industrial products was adopted on November 16, 2023. It gives EUIPO the authority to administer GI registrations for non-agricultural goods whose qualities are linked to their area of production. The agency already manages a database of geographical indications for agricultural products such as certain wines and cheeses.
What’s changing is the expansion of this protection to a whole new category — and the deadline for applications has already passed its start date. That makes the watch-this-space moment now, as the first craft GIs begin to move through the system.
EUIPO’s core business remains the EU trade mark and the registered Community design. An EU trade mark lasts 10 years and can be renewed indefinitely in 10-year blocks. The registered Community design was created by a 2001 Council regulation.
The Council first adopted the regulation establishing EUIPO in December 1993, with revisions in 2009 and 2015.
Enforcement and awards
Since 2012, EUIPO has run the European Observatory on Infringements of Intellectual Property Rights, a network of public and private stakeholders that works to combat piracy and counterfeiting. That function is central as counterfeit goods continue to circulate across borders. The agency also organises the DesignEuropa Awards every two years, starting in 2016, to celebrate design excellence among registered Community design holders.
The trend underneath all this is a steady harmonisation of intellectual property processes across EU member states. A single application for a trade mark or design grants exclusive rights in all current and future EU member states.
The agency is positioning itself as a one-stop shop, and the GI expansion is the latest piece of that puzzle. Watch this space for the first craft GIs to be registered — and for the DesignEuropa Awards to spotlight the next generation of European design.
