Felix Addor (right), deputy director general, Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property, answers questions on Monday during a symposium entitled "The Protection of Geographical Indications, held at The Courtleigh Hotel, New Kingston. At left is Carol Simpson, executive director, Jamaica Intellectual Property Office. - Winston Sill/Freelance Photographer

Protect indigenous Jamaican brands or lose them forever to foreign markets, Swiss intellectual property expert Felix Addor, warned on Monday.

Speaking at a symposium on 'The Protection of Geographical Indications', Addor called for tighter regulations and legislation to prevent the international trading of counterfeit Jamaican jerk seasonings and Blue Mountain coffee.

The Jamaica Intellectual Property Office (JIPO) and the Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property have partnered to facilitate intellectual property rights on products with specific geographical links.

Acting Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce, Reginald Budhan, cited a recent JIPO study.

It identified that the copyright sector contributes 4.8 per cent to Jamaica's gross domestic product, through music, literature, broadcasting, among other commodities.

Geographical Indicators Act

Budhan said the extension of the Geographical Indicators Act would become fully operational once new legislation identifies a higher-protected status for jerk and coffee.

"It is anticipated that amendments to the extension of the act will allow for higher levels of protection for products that are non-wines and spirit products," Budhan said.

A memorandum of understanding for the protection of intellectual property rights will be signed by the Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce, JIPO and the Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property at the Mona Visitors' Lodge, University of the West Indies, St Andrew, today.

In order to protect valuable reputations from being misrepresented by other commercial entities, JIPO is calling for an extension of the Geographical Indicators Act to rebalance the trade-related aspects of the intellectual property rights agreement to afford the same protection for wines and spirits as proposed for coffee and jerk.

Carol Simpson, executive director of JIPO, said it was important for Jamaica to have laws to protect its products from becoming generic and losing their economic value on the national and international level.