Worldwide Symposium on Geographical Indications will be organized in Bulgaria

The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and the Patent Office of the Republic of Bulgaria will organize jointly this year the Worldwide Symposium on Geographical Indications. This symposium will be held in Sofia, from Wednesday, June 10 to Thursday, June 11, 2009, at the Sheraton Hotel. As part of the event on Friday, June 12, 2009 will be organized an excursion to a traditional rose oil production site in Kazanlak, a town famous for its scented roses and unique rose oil based products.

During this symposium will be discussed the economic influence of geographical indication protection and the role it plays for the preservation of traditional knowledge and the rural development. The wide range of key speakers from The World Intellectual Property Organization, the World Trade Organization, the European Commission, representatives of national authorities and producers of different countries will encourage the participants to explore and discuss the main issues from different perspectives.

Additional information for the program and the registration is available at the WIPO internet site.

Image: WIPO headquarters in Geneva, by mk30