What do the Byron Bay Chilli Company, Classic Tasmanian Smoked Salmon, Margaret River Olive Company, Certified Australian Angus Beef, and Château Tanunda Grand Barossa all have in common…besides being fantastic ingredients you should probably have on your shopping list for your next dinner party?
They all utilise geographical indication (GI) in their names and trade marks filed with IP Australia. Many businesses include geographical location names in trade marks to indicate location or an area serviced, such as the Sydney Morning Herald. However, registered GIs are utilised to indicate a locality where “quality, reputation or other characteristic of the good is essentially attributable to its geographical origin.”
Not surprising then that IP Australia found that food and beverage products are the most predominant users of location names in Australian trade marks and many of these are registered GIs. Barossa Valley, the renowned wine region in South Australia, is the most frequently used location name in Australian-origin trade marks, while Champagne, France is the leading overseas location name used in trade marks registered in Australia.
Other popular Australian location names include Margaret River (WA), Hunter Valley (NSW), Yarra (VIC), Carlton (VIC), Byron Bay (NSW), and Coonawarra (SA).
Lunch anyone?