137. The representative of the United States said, in reply to Hungary's question, that as a general matter, there would be a process, either operated under the BATF system or under the certification mark system, of examining or assessing the various types of GIs before the names were actually put on the list. He would provide a more complete answer to Hungary at the next meeting as far as the certification mark was concerned.
138. In reply to the question posed by the EC delegation, the representative of the BATF said that the Bureau would not be bound by such a list or database, but rather by national law that ensured that the US systems were consistent with the TRIPS obligations as permitted by Article 1.1. However, notwithstanding that fact, such a list still would have extreme utility in ensuring, as the Bureau reviewed, for example, the labels for wines coming across the US borders and claiming geographical indications, that the names of these wines would not raise problems: such a database would facilitate the expeditious movement of those wines across the borders and their introduction into the US market.
