Oportunidades e entraves para a proteção por indicação de procedência para os biscoitos de Vitória da Conquista-BA

Abstract

The Geographical Indication (GI) is a modality of protection in the sphere of industrial property, used to prove the origin of a product or service, whose place of production or service rendering has become known. Brazil has great potential for registering Geographical Indications, due to the number of regions that are recognized for the production and quality of their products. The cookies produced in the region of Vitoria ad Conquista, in Bahia, is one of the regional products that shows notoriety and may be subject to protection by IG. This product since 2005 has been seen by the Brazilian Micro and Small Business Support Service as an opportunity to create business and promote the region and in this sense, this body has been developing studies and actions. GI registration is a process that needs well-founded studies. Thus, the present work aims to analyze the main obstacles and opportunities for the registration of protection by Indication of Origin (IP) for the cookies from Vitoria ad Conquista. For this purpose, a literature review was carried out through bibliographic searches in articles, theses, dissertations, and in scientific databases. Secondary documents and data were collected at the electronic addresses of the National Institute of Industrial Property, of the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics, of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply, of the Brazilian Micro and Small Business Support Service, in newspapers and other electronic addresses. That deal with the theme, considered relevant to prove the product's notoriety. Data collection was carried out through technical visits to the biscuit producers in Vitoria ad Conquista and to the Brazilian Micro and Small Business Support Service. As a result, the main obstacles and opportunities were identified and actions were proposed to overcome the obstacles and take advantage of the opportunities to register protection by Indication of Origin for Vitória da Conquista biscuits, among which the following stand out: the absence of a representative entity of the cookie producers in Vitória da Conquista, the lack of definition of the type of cookie to be protected by means of an IP, the lack of clarity about the territorial delimitation in which the cookie producers would be included, the lack of standardization in the biscuit production chain. Proposals for overcoming challenges and taking advantage of opportunities were presented to representatives of agents related to the promotion of the Biscuits of Vitoria ad Conquista IG to be evaluated