MEPs remain deeply divided and no agreement is in sight, although they are ready to discuss it further. Exceptions (Article 24). In some cases, geographical indications should not be protected or protection may be restricted. Exceptions allowed by the agreement include: if a name has become the usual (or generic) term (for example.B. Cheddar now refers to a certain cheese that is not necessarily produced in Cheddar in the United Kingdom), and if a term has already been registered as a trademark. This context was prepared by the Information and Media Relations Division of the WTO secretariat to help the public understand the most important issues. This is not an official interpretation of the positions of WTO agreements or members; and because of the need to simplify and summarize, it cannot cover in detail all the nuances or points of the debate. These are more precisely found in documents 1 cited. Members agreed to engage in negotiations to strengthen the protection of the various geographical indications, in accordance with Article 23. Paragraphs 4 to 8 below cannot be used by a member to refuse to negotiate or conclude bilateral or multilateral agreements.

As part of these negotiations, members are prepared to consider the subsequent applicability of these provisions to the individual geographical indications whose use has been the subject of these negotiations. . Some countries have stated that progress on this aspect of geographical indications would make it easier for them to approve an important agreement in agriculture. Others reject the view that the Doha Declaration is part of the balance of negotiations. At the same time, in the context of agricultural negotiations, the European Union has also proposed to negotiate the protection of the specific names of certain agricultural products. Two themes will be discussed in the TRIPS Council as part of the Doha mandate: the creation of a multilateral register of wines and spirits; and the extension of the high level of protection (Article 23) beyond wines and spirits. The Secretariat has gathered the issues raised and the views expressed in this debate in WT/GC/W/546 and TN/C/W/25. In June 2008, Director-General Pascal Lamy published a report on consultations conducted on his behalf by his deputy, Rufus Yerxa, in TN/C/W/50, which includes consultations under the TRIPS Agreement and the Convention on Biological Diversity (CDB). All products are covered by Section 22, which establishes a uniform level of protection. It says that geographical indications must be protected in order to avoid misleading the public and unfair competition. The deadline for concluding negotiations in the Doha Declaration was the fifth ministerial conference held in Cancn in 2003.