Laws
This Law shall govern relations concerning the registration, legal protection and use of trademarks, service marks and appellations of origin.
Law on Trademarks, Service Marks and Appellations of Origin (in force until July 1, 2010)
Chapter 7: Appellation of Origin and its Legal Protection
Article 30. Appellation of Origin(1) An appellation of origin (hereinafter “appellation”) shall be the name of a country, populated area, locality or other geographical location (hereinafter “geographical location”), used to designate a good, the particular features of which are exclusively or mainly defined by natural conditions and/or human factors characteristic of the geographical location in question.
(2) The appellation may be the historical name of a geographical location.
(3) A name which, although constituting or containing the name of a geographical location, has not come into general use in the Republic of Armenia as a means of expressing the designation of a particular type of good, unconnected with the place in which it is produced, shall not be recognized as an appellation.
Article 31. Legal Protection of an Appellation
(1) Legal protection for an appellation in the Republic of Armenia shall be granted on the basis of its registration in accordance with the procedure established by this Law, or in accordance with the international agreements to which the Republic of Armenia is party.
(2) The appellation shall be protected by law.
(3) The appellation may be filed for registration by:
(a) one or more legal persons or individual manufacturers producing the good in question in the locality indicated in the application;
(b) organizations protecting users’ rights;
(c) other competent authorities involved in the production of the good in question.
(4) A legal person or individual manufacturer filing an appellation for registration shall be entitled to use it, if the good he produces meets the requirements of Article 30(1) of this Law.
(5) The right to use this appellation, registered in accordance with the established procedure, may be granted to any legal person or individual manufacturer producing the good in the same geographical location and with the same features.
(6) Registration of the appellation shall be valid indefinitely.
(7) A name, which designates the geographical location of actual production of a good and gives the user a false impression as to how the good appears to have been produced in another geographical location of the same name, shall not be subject to legal protection as an appellation of origin.
(8) In the case of geographical designations of the same name which individualize wines, each shall be subject to legal protection, if they contain appropriate distinguishing additions, and provided that the requirements of paragraph (5) of this article and the rightful interests of producers have been satisfied.
