GI Manual Finalized

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GI Manual Finalized

14 September 2012

India’s Registrar of Geographical Indications has finalized the GI Manual, a draft of which was released earlier in the year.

The Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999 took effect from September 15, 2003, as did the accompanying rules. However, in all the 230 GI applications or so that have been filed since, there was a noticeable lack of uniformity among applicants in their attempts to fulfill statutory requirements, say lawyers at Remfry & Sagar in New Delhi. “On many an occasion, this led to formal objections being raised and consequently, delays in registration.”

The lawyers say that with the aim of providing a practical guide to applicants and ensuring that the GI system of registration evolves in a consistent manner, the government published a draft GI Manual on March 31, 2011. Comments were invited from stakeholders and upon due consideration, the finalized Manual was published on July 27, 2011.

“One of its most notable features is the explanation surrounding the contents of a GI application form and the documents to be annexed therewith. This is in direct response to the fact that incorrect interpretations of the statute/rules led applicants to submit voluminous GI applications with the same information duplicated under various heads,” the Remfry & Sagar lawyers said.