In mid-May, EUIPO and the related working group formally released the Practical Guide for implementing the new regime on craft and industrial geographical indications, a sign that the framework is moving from legislation into day-to-day administration. Just days later, on 17 May, Porcelaine de Limoges was approved as the first name registered under the EU’s new craft and industrial GI system. That is more than a symbolic first filing. It marks the point at which EU geographical-indication protection, long associated mainly with wines, foods and agricultural goods, begins to operate in...

In early July 2026, the French signal is not just about counterfeit goods showing up at summer fairs. It is broader than that. Trade fairs, tourism season, online copying, platform visibility and cross-border brand exposure are all colliding at once. Read against the deeper cooperation framework between the INPI and French Customs, this is becoming a more integrated enforcement environment in which exhibitors, online sellers, right holders and advisers all face a shorter reaction window.For many innovative brands from Asia and other non-European markets, the pressure point is especially...