A couple of interesting things on this- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geographical_indication https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geographical_indication https://en.

A couple of interesting things on this- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geographical_indication https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geographical_indication https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geographical_indications_and_traditional_specialities_in_the_European_Union https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geographical_indications_and_t... These things usually get codified in trade agreements. It seems that Japan hasn't been particularly concerned about protecting Kobe beef internationally, likely because there are so few exports simply due to production limits.