"India's GI tag framework fails farmers; systemic reform urgently needed"
Geographical Indication (GI)
IP right identifying a product whose quality/reputation is essentially attributable to its geographical origin.
Registered Proprietor
entity (association/cooperative/government body) that holds the GI tag and controls its use.
Geographical Indications (GIs) are a form of intellectual property that identify a product as originating from a specific geographical area, where a given quality, reputation, or other characteristic is essentially attributable to that origin. In India, GIs are governed by the Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999, which came into force in 2003, alongside the GI Rules, 2002. The Act was enacted to fulfil India's obligations under the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) — specifically Articles 22–24 — which require WTO member states to provide legal means to prevent misleading use of geographical indications.
The GI Registry, located in Chennai under the Office of the Controller General of Patents, Designs and Trade Marks, administers registrations. Once registered, a GI grants the registered proprietor — typically a producers' association, cooperative, or government body — exclusive rights to use the geographical name. Registration is valid for ten years and is renewable. India has registered over 724 GIs spanning agricultural products (Darjeeling Tea, Alphonso Mango, Basmati Rice), handicrafts (Pashmina, Kanchipuram Silk), and manufactured goods. Agricultural GIs are particularly significant because they can command price premiums in domestic and export markets, directly affecting farmer incomes — yet the system's design has increasingly been shown to benefit intermediaries rather than cultivating farmers.
The legal criterion for GI registration under the 1999 Act requires that a product's quality, reputation, or other characteristic be essentially attributable to its geographical origin — meaning the place of production, not merely the place of trade or aggregation. This distinction is foundational: a market town that aggregates produce from multiple states cannot legitimately claim a GI on the basis of commercial reputation alone. The GI registration process involves filing an application with the Registry, a three-month public objection window (notified through the GI Journal), and, after registration, a cancellation route under Section 27 of the Act for aggrieved parties.
The Act also distinguishes between the registered proprietor (who holds the GI) and authorised users (individual producers legally permitted to use the tag). This distinction is critical: only 42 per cent of registered GIs have authorised users, meaning 58 per cent exist only on paper with no individual producer legally empowered to use them. …
Which of the following has/have been accorded 'Geographical Indication' status?
1.Banaras Brocades and Sarees
2.Rajasthani Daal-Bati-Churma
3.Tirupathi Laddu
Select the correct answer using the code given below.
In India, markets in agricultural products are regulated under the
Consider the following statements regarding India's Geographical Indications (GI) framework:
1.The GI Act, 1999 came into force in 2003 to fulfil India's obligations under TRIPS Articles 22–24.
2.The GI Registry is located in New Delhi under the Ministry of Commerce.
3.A registered GI is valid for ten years and is renewable.
4.The establishment of inspection bodies by the GI applicant is mandatory under the GI Act.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
With reference to Geographical Indications (GIs) in India, which of the following best explains why a large proportion of registered GIs fail to deliver income benefits to cultivating farmers?
The Intellectual Property Appellate Board (IPAB), which heard appeals in GI disputes among other IP matters, was abolished in:
Which of the following is correct regarding the consequence of this abolition for GI dispute resolution?
Consider the following assertion and reason:
Assertion (A): The GI Registry's grant of a GI tag to a market aggregation centre rather than a production zone can violate the foundational legal criterion of the GI Act, 1999.
Reason (R): The GI Act requires that a product's quality, reputation, or other characteristic be essentially attributable to its geographical origin — meaning the place of production, not merely the place of trade.
Which one of the following is correct?
Want the full note, Prelims Facts & MCQ answers?
Create a free account — takes less than a minute.
Create free account