A company and its director will be charged under the Geographical Indications Act 2022 at the Johor Bahru Sessions Court tomorrow over their 2-in-1 coffee product labelled “KK Tanom Coffee”.
According to a New Straits Times report, the company and its director would face charges over using a label that indicates a registered geographical indication (GI) without the rights holder’s approval.
Despite no specification on which provisions of the Act they will be charged with, this case would mean the first prosecution under the Act.
The Act, which came into effect on March 18, 2022, provides protection for GI such as “Sarawak pepper” from Sarawak or “Balsamic vinegar of Modena” from Italy, including the product’s quality and characteristics attributed to its place of origin.
This Act, which replaced the previous Geographical Indications Act 2020, provides a wider scope of protection to GI proprietors and more clarity concerning the examination procedure for GI registration.
The Act outlines various penalties for offences related to GI misuse, including falsely representing goods for which a GI is registered or submitting false information to the Geographical Indications Office, which could lead to fines or imprisonment. - Mkini
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