Claire Cerdan

A Brazilian Perspective on Geographical Indications

This chapter presents a review of the principal examples of GIs approved or under negotiation in Brazil. It discusses how the emerging profile of GIs in Brazil has been influenced both by the specific State and Federal legislation adopted in Brazil for GIs and by the institutional structures put into place for GI promotion and recognition. It also situates initiatives around GIs in the context of broader strategies for territorially-based development. Through a comparative analysis of the GIs already approved and those in process of negotiation the paper draws preliminary conclusions with respect to the forms of justification emerging in the Brazilian case, the profile of beneficiaries and initial implications for territorial development strategies. The analysis is conducted within an evolutionary perspective on the institutionalization of GIs in Brazil understood as a collective learning experience, which permits readjustments and even new directions.