SECTION 1 U.K. Applications for protection and examination procedure
Article 24U.K.Language and spelling of the traditional term
1.A traditional term shall be registered:
(a)in the official language or regional language of the Member State or third country from which the term originates; or
(b)in the language used in trade for this term.
2.A traditional term shall be registered with its original spelling and in its original script. Where the original script is not in Latin characters, a transcription in Latin characters shall be registered together with the name in its original script.
Article 25U.K.Applicants
1.Competent authorities of the Member States or third countries or representative professional organisations established in third countries may apply for the protection of a traditional term.
2.‘Representative professional organisation’ shall mean any producer organisation or association of producer organisations having adopted the same rules, operating in the area of one or more wine designations of origin or geographical indications where it includes in its membership at least two thirds of the producers established in the area in which it operates and accounts for at least two thirds of the production of that area. A representative professional organisation may lodge an application for protection only for grapevine products which it produces.
Article 26U.K.Admissibility of the application
1.Applications for protection are considered admissible where they are submitted in compliance with Article 25 of this Regulation and Article 21 and Article 30(3) of Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/34 and are duly completed.
An application shall be considered to be duly completed where it contains the following information:
(a)the name to be protected as a traditional term;
(b)the type of traditional term, whether it falls under Article 112(a) or (b) of Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013;
(c)the language in which the name to be protected as a traditional term is expressed;
(d)the grapevine product category or categories concerned;
(e)a summary of the definition and conditions of use;
(f)the protected designations of origin or protected geographical indications concerned.
2.The application shall be accompanied by a copy of the legislation of the Member State concerned or rules applicable to wine producers in the third country or countries concerned, governing the use of the term in question, and a reference to the publication of that legislation or those rules.
3.If the application is not duly completed or if the documents referred to in paragraph 2 have not been provided with the application, the application shall be inadmissible.
4.Where the application is inadmissible, the authorities of the Member State or those of the third country or the applicant established in the third country in question shall be informed of the reasons for its inadmissibility and that they are entitled to submit another application duly completed.
Article 27U.K.Conditions of validity
1.An application for the protection of a traditional term shall be deemed valid if the name for which the protection is sought:
(a)fulfils the requirements of a traditional term as defined in Article 112 of Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 as well as the requirements laid down in Article 24 of this Regulation;
(b)consists exclusively of either:
a name traditionally used in trade in a large part of the territory of the Union or of the third country in question, to distinguish specific categories of grapevine products referred to in Article 92(1) of Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013; or
a reputed name traditionally used in trade in at least the territory of the Member State or third country in question, to distinguish specific categories of grapevine products referred to in Article 92(1) of Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013;
(c)has not become generic, and
(d)is defined and regulated in the Member State's legislation or subject to conditions of use as provided for by rules applicable to wine producers in the third country in question, including those emanating from representative professional organisations.
Point (b) shall not apply to traditional terms referred to in Article 112(a) of Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013.
2.For the purposes of paragraph (1) (b), traditional use means:
(a)use amounting to a period of at least five years in case of terms filed in the official language or regional language of the Member State or third country where the term originates;
(b)use amounting to a period of at least 15 years in case of terms filed in the language used for trade.
3.For the purposes of paragraph (1)(c), a name that has become ‘generic’ means the name which, although it relates to a specific production method or ageing method, or the quality, colour, type of place, or a particular event linked to the history of a grapevine product, has become the common name of that product in the Union.
Article 28U.K.Scrutiny by the Commission
1.The date of submission of an application for protection of a traditional term shall be the date on which the application is received by the Commission.
2.The Commission shall examine whether the application for protection meets the conditions laid down in this Chapter.
3.Where the Commission considers that the conditions laid down in Articles 26 and 27 are met, it shall adopt an implementing act concerning the publication, in the Official Journal of the European Union, of the application for protection.
4.If an application for the protection of a traditional term does not meet the conditions laid down in this Chapter, the Commission shall inform the applicant of the grounds for refusal, setting a deadline for the withdrawal or modification of the application or for the submission of comments.
5.If the obstacles are not remedied by the applicant within the deadline referred to in paragraph 4, the Commission shall adopt an implementing act rejecting the application in accordance with Article 115(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013.