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Consider the following statements regarding the international legal framework for Geographical Indications (GIs):

  1. The Paris Convention was the first international agreement to recognize Geographical Indications.
  2. GIs are protected under the TRIPS Agreement of the World Trade Organization (WTO).
  3. The Madrid Agreement is exclusively focused on the protection of GIs.

Which of the above statements is/are correct?

  •  a) 1 only
  •  b) 1 and 2 only
  •  c) 2 and 3 only
  •  d) 1, 2 and 3

Solution: b)

Statement 1 is correct because the Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property (1883) was among the first international agreements to recognize the importance of Geographical Indications (GIs).

Statement 2 is also correct, as GIs are protected under the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS), a part of the World Trade Organization (WTO) framework.

Statement 3 is incorrect because the Madrid Agreement is focused on international trademark registration, not solely on GIs. The Lisbon Agreement, on the other hand, deals with the protection of appellations of origin, a type of GI.

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