Jamaica Jerk the Caribbean’s first geographical indication

Jamaica is the first country in the English-speaking Caribbean to register a geographical indication (GI). Speaking at this week’s Jamaica Observer Monday Exchange about plans for Intellectual Property Week to be observed next week, Lillyclaire Bellamy, executive director of the Jamaica Intellectual Property Organisation (JIPO) told editors and reporters that since 2015, the country has a registered GI for Jamaica Jerk. “People always say we take forever to pass laws but the difference with us is when we pass our laws we use them. The rest of the English-speaking Caribbean all had laws to protect geographical indications from ‘whoie whoie’. Not one of them did anything with it. “We passed our laws and regulations and everything was completed by 2009, and in 2015 we registered the first geographical indication in the entire English-speaking Caribbean, which is Jamaica Jerk,” Bellamy said. According to the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO), a GI is a sign used on products that have a specific geographical origin and possess qualities or a reputation that are due to that origin. WIPO further states that in order to function as a GI, a sign must identify a product as originating in a given place, plus the qualities, characteristics or reputation of the product should be essentially due to the place of origin. Also, since the qualities depend on the geographical place of production, there is a clear link between the product and its place of origin.

Source: jamaicaobserver.com
Full Article: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/Jamaica-Jerk-the-Caribbean-s-first-geographical-indication-_58138