The \"Law to Use the Mark the DelPaís,\" Act 195-2016: Case Study of a Puerto Rican Certification Mark with Potential of Becoming a Geographic Indication for Economic Development

In 2016, the Puerto Rican Congress codified the “Law for the use of the DelPaís Mark” (the DelPaís Law), creating a composite certification mark called Productos DelPaís de Puerto Rico (the DelPaís Mark) for raw fruits, milk, honey, meats, egg, fish, ornamental plants, spices, vegetables, starches, and value-added products. The Puerto Rican Department of Agriculture intended the DelPaís Mark to function as a certification mark and Geographical Indication (GI) to differentiate local from imported products to promote purchasing of locally produced items and eventually export internationally. A GI is a source identifier identifying that a place makes a particular product with unique characteristics, so there is a higher consumer’s recognition and willingness to buy such products and help these communities’ economic development. Despite the Department’s efforts, the DelPaís Mark deters positive economic growth of small and medium enterprises, failing as a Certification Mark and potential GI. The cases of Café de Colombia, Hawaiian Kona Coffee, Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee, and Tequila de Mexico derive Five Factors predominating in GI policies. These are Product Definition, Collective Organization, Marketing, Legal-Institutional Framework, and Economic Impact. Some issues found in the DelPaís Law range from inconsistent marketing, vague administrative procedures, lack of product definitions, disorganized support, and limited economic impact. Recommendations serve as guidelines for uniformity in production, marketing plan, organizing supply chain, financial and technical aid, a cooperative food hub, and recording data to measure progress and attract investors for the existing certification mark and creating a GI.2016年，波多黎各议会将《德爾帕伊斯商标使用法》（下称《德爾帕伊斯法》）正式编纂为法律，设立了复合认证商标「波多黎各德爾帕伊斯产品」（下称德爾帕伊斯商标），适用范围涵盖生鲜水果、奶类、蜂蜜、肉类、蛋类、鱼类、观赏植物、香料、蔬菜、淀粉类制品及增值产品。波多黎各农业部旨在将德爾帕伊斯商标打造为认证商标与地理标志（Geographical Indication，GI），用以区分本地产品与进口产品，以此推动本地产品采购，并最终助力其拓展国际市场。地理标志是一种来源标识，用于指明某一特定产品产自特定地域且具备独特品质特征，可提升消费者对该类产品的认可度与购买意愿，助力相关社区的经济发展。尽管农业部做出了诸多努力，德爾帕伊斯商标却未能助力中小企业实现良性经济增长，其作为认证商标与潜在地理标志的定位宣告失效。哥伦比亚咖啡、夏威夷科纳咖啡、牙买加蓝山咖啡以及墨西哥龙舌兰酒这几个典型案例，提炼出了地理标志政策中占据主导地位的五大核心要素，即产品定义、集体组织、市场营销、法律-制度框架以及经济影响。当前《德爾帕伊斯法》存在诸多问题，包括市场营销策略不一致、行政程序模糊不清、产品定义缺失、扶持体系混乱无序以及经济影响有限等。相关建议可作为指导方针，用于规范生产流程、制定市场营销计划、优化供应链组织、提供财政与技术援助、搭建合作食品枢纽，以及记录相关数据以评估进展、吸引投资者，助力现有认证商标的运营以及地理标志的创设。