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1. Where a Member State has been granted a derogation in accordance with Article 19(1), any application ('direct application’), request for amendment of the product specification or request for cancellation submitted by an applicant of that Member State with regard to a product originating in the Union shall be submitted directly to the Office.

2. Article 14, Article 16(2), Article 23(1), (2) and (4) to (7) and Articles 25 to 33 shall apply, mutatis mutandis, to the direct registration procedure referred to in this Article.

3. In the direct registration procedure, any person having a legitimate interest, including national opponents, may lodge an opposition with the Office in accordance with Article 25.

4. The Office shall communicate with the applicant and the single point of contact referred to in Article 19(5) on any technical issues relating to the direct application.

5. Within two months of the submission of a request by the Office, the Member State, through the single point of contact, shall provide assistance, in particular in relation to the examination of the direct applications. At the request of the Member State, that time limit may be extended by two months. Such assistance shall include examining certain specific aspects of the direct applications lodged with the Office, verifying information in the direct applications, issuing declarations concerning such information and replying to other requests for clarification made by the Office in relation to such applications.

6. If the Member State, through the single point of contact, does not provide assistance within the time limit referred to in paragraph 5 of this Article, the registration procedure shall be suspended for up to six months. Where assistance is not provided within that period, the Geographical Indications Division for craft and industrial products established pursuant to Article 34 (‘the Geographical Indications Division’) shall consult the Advisory Board before taking a final decision on the direct application.

7. This Article shall not apply to applications for registration of geographical indications concerning products originating in a third country (‘third-country geographical indications’).

8. The Commission is empowered to adopt delegated acts in accordance with Article 69 to supplement this Regulation by specifying the criteria for the direct registration procedure.

9. The Commission may adopt implementing acts laying down detailed rules on the procedures for the preparation and submission of direct applications. Those implementing acts shall be adopted in accordance with the examination procedure referred to in Article 68(2).