It’s 2026, and the world of GIs has moved past its nascent phase, currently seeing some massive legal shifts, especially regarding how products are protected online and in different industries.

The EU's Craft & Industrial Revolution

Until very recently, GI protection was usually reserved and limited to food and drink. As of December 1, 2025, the EU officially launched a brand-new protection system for non-agricultural products.[1]

• This shall result in items like Murano glass, Donegal tweed, and Limoges porcelain having the same heavy-duty legal protection as Champagne.

• EU member states have until December 2026 to finish converting their national lists into this new EU-wide system. This deadline shall ensure that duplicates of famous regional crafts from being sold across Europe.[2]

  
  

Protection Against Internet Counterfeits

Of the biggest updates in the past two years, one was the introduction of Section 22(2) type protections and new WIPO/EU regulations specifically targeting domain names and e-commerce.[3]

• The Challenge: People were buying domains like authentic-roquefort.com to sell fake cheese.

• The Solution: New laws now allow GI groups to seize domain names that "evoke" a protected brand without permission. This is the first time GIs have had real "teeth" in the digital world.

  
  

Developments in the UK

The UK government has been aggressively adding new products to the domestic registry to improve the system post-Brexit. Some recent registrations granted in 2025 and 2026 include:

• Pembrokeshire Rock Oysters & Native Oysters (PGI): Officially granted protection in March 2025, this ensures that only oysters farmed in the specific waters of Pembrokeshire, Wales, can use the name.

• Dovey Native Botanical Gin (PGI): A recent win for Welsh spirits, protecting the specific botanical profile tied to the Dyfi Valley.

• Welsh Heather Honey / Mêl Grug Cymru: Now fully protected, ensuring mass-produced blends can’t undercut traditional Welsh beekeepers.

• In a significant ruling in October 2025, the UK government rejected a request to cancel the Scottish Salmon PGI. There had been significant debate about whether the industry had changed too much to deserve the protection, but the government ruled that the name still carries a specific geographic reputation that must be legally guarded.[4]

  
  

Not wishing to lose out on the EU's lead, the UK is aggressively pushing to expand GI protection to crafts and industrial goods, and aims to give legal protection to products such as Savile Row Suits, Harris Tweed, and Sheffield Steel. Currently, these rely on Trademarks, which are harder to defend than GI status.

Sustainability & Green GIs

There is a growing push to make sustainability a mandatory requirement for registering a GI tag. In recent EU updates, producer groups are being encouraged, and in some cases required, to include environmental standards in their product specifications. Hence, if a product isn’t environmentally sustainable, it lies at peril of not being considered for the grant of a GI tag and a previously registered product may even lose its right to the regional name.[5]

Feature written by Kushraj Singh, Senior Legal Correspondent, The Global IP Magazine.

Email Kushraj: newsdesk@northonsprmarketing.com