In principle, the Trade Mark Protection Act protects all indications of source for goods and services from being used inappropriately, without the need for a registration. It is also possible for interested industries to register geographical indications (e.g. “Genève” for watches) in a register as geographical marks. This allows them to obtain an official IP right in Switzerland and benefit from greater legal certainty. This significantly simplifies obtaining and enforcing protection in the future, particularly abroad.

Designations of origin and geographical indications of agricultural products and processed agricultural products are registered with the Federal Office for Agriculture. Applications must be submitted by a representative group of producers concerned and must include a product specification product specification that describes the product and the production process.

Designations of origin and geographical indications of non-agricultural products are registered with the IPI. In this case also, an application must be submitted by a representative group of producers concerned and must include a product specification that describes the product and the production process.

Geographical indications for wine (particularly AOCs) are regulated by specific federal and cantonal legislation.