• Three weeks ago, Laguiole knives obtained a Geographical Indication

  • But the latter concerns both the manufacturers of Aveyron, cradle of the famous brand, and those of the cutlery basin of Thiers, 200 kilometers away.

  • Believing that there is consumer deception, the Aveyronnais are taking legal action.

It is justice that will have to decide this new episode in the war of knives.

The Syndicate of Aveyron manufacturers of the Laguiole knife has just filed an appeal before the Court of Appeal of Aix-en-Provence.

He challenges the decision of the Inpi (National Institute of Intellectual Property) to create a Geographical Indication (GI) including the cutlers of Thiers, in Puy-de-Dôme.

“We filed an appeal, because it is absurd, the decision goes against the spirit of the law on geographical indications, which wants to relocate and localize production.

There, it's the opposite, “is indignant Honoré Durand, president of Aveyron manufacturers.

On September 23, the National Institute of Industrial Property (INPI) ruled in favor of the cutlers of Thiers by creating a "Laguiole knife" GI, designating an authorized production area grouping together 94 municipalities in the departments of Aveyron, where located the village of Laguiole which gave its name to the knife, Lozère, Cantal, Loire, Allier and Puy-de-Dôme.

"Bordeaux in Dijon and champagne in Limoux"?

"Include Lozère, Cantal, Loire, Allier, it's unusual," said Mr. Durand.

“If a product bears the name of a community, a territory, it must be produced in this territory.

Otherwise, the consumer is being deceived.

And we make Bordeaux in Dijon, champagne in Limoux”.

To support the craftsmen of Laguiole, the mayor of the village Vincent Alazard, the president of the regional council of Occitanie Carole Delga (PS) and the president of the departmental council of Aveyron Arnaud Viala (LR) castigated an "attempt to expropriate “, in a letter to the President of the Republic.

“In a department, Puy-de-Dôme, located more than 200 kilometers from the village of Laguiole, a new geographical indication was born: the “Laguiole knife””, ironically the elected officials.

Subcontracting relationships

Two requests from IG for the Laguiole knife had been sent to the INPI.

One emanating from Laguiole, offering the north of Aveyron as a production area, while allowing Thiers to continue to produce Laguiole knives.

It is the second, formulated by Thiers, which was finally retained.

“How can a Geographical Indication be recognized without the main community, the one bearing the geographical name, which refused the project, being involved in the process.

Can we seriously force the cutlers of the village of Laguiole to adhere to a GI that they have not chosen, under penalty of being prohibited from using the name 'Laguiole' "question the elected officials in the text addressed to the Elysium.



For the mayor of Laguiole, "Thiers is the capital of cutlery and we thank them for having ensured the continuity of the manufacture of Laguiole when it had collapsed in Aveyron" after the Second World War, "but it remains an identity product of Laguiole”.

The INPI investigation file established that subcontracting relations between Laguiole and Thiers had existed since 1868.

Company

The people of Aveyron will have to “share” the famous Laguiole knives

Economy

At daggers drawn with those of Thiers, the cutlers of Laguiole see their request for geographical indication rejected

  • Occitania

  • Knife

  • Justice

  • Company

  • Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes

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