The New Japanese Act on Geographical Indications - An Intangible Cultural Heritage Perspective
30 Pages Posted: 19 Nov 2015
Date Written: November 18, 2015
Abstract
The extension of the scope of protection in the new Japanese GI Act towards “non-edible agricultural, fishery or forestry products and products manufactured or processed using agricultural, forestry and fishery products,” opens perspectives of using the GI Act in relation to intangible cultural heritage in the same way as in Brazil. This is reality, which cannot be dismissed with arguments that geographical indications are not suitable for protecting intangible cultural heritage. No matter how valuable the reasoning behind such arguments may be, there has to be some guidance towards communities, holders of intangible cultural heritage, about the possible hidden dangers of applying for a geographical indication in relation to products based upon intangible cultural heritage.
Keywords: Japan's GI Act, geographical indication, intangible cultural heritage
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