Trademarks and Denomination of Origin in Portuguese Wine Sector (1918-1924)

Abstract

In the Portuguese wine sector there was a strong adhesion of companies, producers and traders to the registration of trade marks since the modern commercial brands emerged after the creation of the legal framework for their protection, at the end of the 19th century. We also must consider the existence of different regions of production, from north to south of the country, and the historical process of recognition of the different denomination of origin, which occurred since the beginning of the 20th century, in a context of post-phylloxera reconversion, market instability and the proliferation of imitations and counterfeits. Because wine sector was strategic in the Portuguese economy, in this article we will analyze the marks of different companies, traders and producers representative of various Portuguese wine regions, between 1918 and 1924 from the Trademark Registration in the Boletim de Propriedade Industrial (Industrial Property Bulletin). The aim is to understand the relationship between trademarks and appellations of origin, to understand if there was the growth of the different terroirs and their types of wines, and to identify, on a semiotic basis, representative and identifying elements of the indication of provenance, used in countless brands.

Keywords

• portuguese wine regions
• brands
• trademarks
• labels
• semiotics