한－EU FTA에서의 지리적표시 보호 쟁점

In recent years, the proliferation of Free Trade Agreement (FTA) has become a global trend. Intellectual property rights (IPRs )are a crucial economic and political issue for transnational corporations in particular and industrialized country governments in general. The TRIPS Agreement signalled a major change in international economic relation as it established a link between adequate protection of intellectual property and international trade. The TRIPS Agreement introduces minimum standards of protection and some offers some flexibilities, but recent developments suggest a growing trend towards much more strict standards. Bilateral and plurilateral (including regional) agreements may also serve the purpose of protecting geographical indications internationally. This article outlines Geographical Indications(GIs) issues which will be raised in relation to the proposed Korea－EU FTA.