Examining issues of quality and standards of geographical indications in relation to the migration of communities

Abstract

A decline in the quality and standard of goods or products may occur as a result of changing natural factors if people migrate within a community and the terms “kind”, “style”, or “type,” are used in conjunction with newly created geographical indications. This complicates the task of ensuring the quality of goods or products that have been remanufactured using terms associated with newly created geographical indications but are of lower quality than goods from the original geographic origin. Consequently, the public is misled regarding the product's origin. It is possible to use geographical indications in newly manufactured products based solely on traditional knowledge and reputation of products other than rice, silk, wine, and spirits in the event of community relocation; however, controlling the quality or standards of newly manufactured products is difficult. When the terms “kind”, “style”, or “type,” or similar words are used in conjunction with geographical indications in the context of community immigration, this paper examines the legal issues that arise.  In the event of community migration, the paper proposes that registering goods' quality and standardization, as well as obtaining permission to use the terms “kind,” “style,” or “type” or similar words or equivalents, is critical to establishing a standardized system and criteria for protecting such products.