The Indian Government published on July 27, 2011a draft manual on the registration of Geographical Indications (GIs). The purpose of this manual is to provide applicants with clear guidelines on the registration of GIs in the country in order to ensure that the GI system evolves in a consistent manner. The manual includes the required documents and application forms that must be completed when filing a GI application in order to avoid duplication of documents.
By way of background, the Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act of 1999 came into force in the country on September 15, 2003. However, in all the 230 GI applications that have been filed before, there was a noticeable lack of uniformity among applicants in their attempt to fulfill the statutory requirements. On many occasions, this led to formal objections being raised and consequently, delays in registration.
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