Importance of a Geographical Indication to Protect the Quality and Authenticity of Oaxacan Handicrafts

Abstract

It is established that the geographical indication is a legal distinctive of very recent incorporation in the Mexican laws of industrial property, which grants to the artisanal production a protection as effective as the denomination of origin; Geographical marking a type of legal stamp that has recently been incorporated into Mexican industrial property laws. Official geographical marking is as effective as labelling the place of origin in terms of providing protection to artisanal production. However, geographical marking is more accessible and convenient than a label because the request for the stamp is a more simplified process. This process consists of collecting data through the pilot study technique: describing the features of and processes that go into an artisan’s products and ensure their quality and authenticity. In addition, the pilot study technique describes how the artisanal production is linked to the region, and its natural and cultural factors. The research is of a documentary and legal nature whose results show that the use of geographical marking protects from counterfeit and promotes artisanal production in towns and villages that dedicate themselves to this.