India recognizes Pisco as originating from Peru

Victory for Peru. After nine years of litigation, the Intellectual Property Appellate Board of the Republic of India (IPAB) recognized our exclusive rights to the Pisco Appellation of Origin against the Chilean claim. The opposition filed by the Chilean Pisco Producers' Association was also declared unfounded.

The IPAB based its ruling on several historical facts that confirm that Pisco originates from Peru. One of them is that Pisco is the name used ever since colonial times to identify a valley, a river, a port and a city, all located on the Peruvian coast.

Another historical fact is that the Republic of Chile changed the name of its region La Unión to Pisco Elqui improperly, in order to take possession of the term Pisco that belongs to Peru. The IPAB also considered research carried out by lexicographers, chroniclers and historians; in which it has been demonstrated that the word Pisco comes from the Peruvian Quechua language and means "bird".

This rightful victory was achieved thanks to the joint work of the National Institute for the Defense of Competition and Protection of Intellectual Property (Indecopi) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who worked for a long time on the appeal filed by Peru.

"This ruling not only consolidates the coordinated and joint management of a successful defense, but it is also an important precedent in our ongoing work to properly protect our Pisco Appellation of Origin abroad", stressed Indecopi.

It is also important to remember that at the end of 2018 the Ukrainian government recognized the name Pisco in favor of Peru. With this decision, initiated by the Embassy of Peru in Poland, concurrent in Ukraine, it was established that our country had a well-grounded request and that in application of the "Law Protecting Appellation of Origin Rights in Goods", it was decided "to register the Pisco appellation of origin and the right to use it on behalf of the Republic of Peru".

Sources: Indecopi/Andean