The international registration of appellations of origin (AO) and geographical indications (GIs) is carried out under the provisions of the Lisbon Agreement for the Protection of Appellations of Origin and their International Registration of 31 October 1958, administered by WIPO, to which the Republic of Moldova has been party since 05/04/2001.

Filing an application for the registration of an appellation of origin (AO)/geographical indication (GI) through the Lisbon Agreement has the following benefits:

• single procedure;
• minimum of formalities;
• single fee (paid in Swiss francs).

The international application for an appellation of origin/geographical indication  recorded in the National Register of protected appellations of origin, which has as country of origin the Republic of Moldova, shall be filed in English or French, with the International Bureau (hereinafter IB) via the AGEPI, subject to the payment of the prescribed fees provided for in Article 43 of Law No. 66-XVI/ 2008 on the protection of geographical indications, appellations of origin and traditional specialties guaranteed.

Any international registration of an appellation of origin, notified by the IB, as of the date of international registration, shall have the same effects as if the application for registration had been filed directly with the AGEPI.

If AGEPI has not notified the IB of any refusal, or if any such refusal has been subsequently withdrawn, the protection of an appellation of origin in the Republic of Moldova, as of the date of the international registration, shall be the same as if it had been registered directly with the AGEPI.

The protection of an appellation of origin/geographical indication through the Lisbon Agreement has the following benefits:

• term of protection of AO – unlimited in time
• no need for renewal
• protected AO cannot be deemed to have become generic.