Following our Trade & Market Access updates in July, August & November 2021, our hearing on the decision made by Singapore Intellectual Property Office to grant Prosecco protected status as a Geographic Indication (GI) in Singapore, occurred on 12 November 2021.
The outcome of the hearing was that the High Court Judge agreed with our arguments that the term “Prosecco” is the name of a plant variety and is likely to mislead the consumer if protected as a GI. On this basis, the Judge allowed our appeal and refused the registration of the term “Prosecco” as a GI.
We are very happy with this outcome as it provides a crucial legal precedent established by the Singapore High Court for retaining our rights to use the grape variety Prosecco in key export markets.
There remains one final avenue for the opposing party to appeal this decision via the High Court’s Appellate Division. Permission to undertake this secondary appeal has been sought by the opposing party and we will continue to progress the case and provide updates as they are available.
