Geographical Indications Exhibition In India International Trade Fair

The Ministry of Commerce and Industry Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade is hosting the world's largest Geographical Indication (GI) Pavilion. From November 14 to November 27, 2023, the event was hosted at the India International Trade Fair at ITPO, Pragati Maidan. The Pavilion was opened by the Hon'ble Union Minister of State for Commerce and Industry, Shri Som Parkash, and the red carpet was spread for public viewing.

Geographical Indication (GI) Pavilion

• More than 600 craftspeople from 28 States and Union Territories are participating in the GI Pavilion, offering more than 200 distinct Geographical Indications (GIs) items ranging from food and agriculture to handicrafts and handlooms to suit the interests of all age groups. 
• GI items have distinct characteristics that are linked to their geographical origin.
• Padma Shri and National awardees demonstrate and portray traditional artworks such as Gond Painting, Warli Painting, Pithora Painting, Shamphee Lanphee, Sandur Lambani Embroidery, Odisha Pattachitra, and others in the Pavilion, giving visitors a firsthand experience of India's rich traditional and cultural soul.

What is  Geographical Indications (GIs)?

• Geographical Indication (GI) is a label used to identify items with unique qualities that originate in a certain geographical area.
• The Geographical Indications of commodities (Registration and Protection) Act of 1999 aims to improve the registration and protection of geographical indications linked to commodities in India.
• The World Trade Organization's Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) governs and directs it.
• It was decided and it is also mentioned in Articles 1 (2) and 10 of the Paris Convention, that industrial property and geographical indications constitute aspects of intellectual property.
• It is primarily an agricultural, natural, or produced (handicrafts and industrial items) product.
• Geographical Indications are protected as a component of Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) under the Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property.
• Agricultural items, foodstuffs, wine and spirit beverages, handicrafts, and industrial products are common uses for geographical indicators.
• Darjeeling Tea was the first product in India to get the GI label in 2004-05.
• Validity: This tag is valid for ten years after which it can be renewed.

Evolution of GIs

• The World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) issued this definition in 2003, underlining that the GIs are, in fact, the indicators of a product's origin. 
• The term Geographical Indication (GI) comes from the Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property, which was signed in Paris, France, in 1883. 
• The words 'appellation of origin' and 'indications of source' were coined and later defined in the Lisbon and Madrid Treaties. 
• However, the rising importance of GIs may be connected to the 1995 World Trade Organisation (WTO)-led Agreement on Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights ('TRIPS'). 
• The TRIPS agreement defines fundamental GI protection requirements and requires WTO member nations to adopt GI protection legal systems. 
• TRIPS explicitly established and controlled basic geographical indication protection criteria. 
• The Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) Agreement, which was incorporated into the final agreements of the Uruguay Round of GATT negotiations, covers GIs in Articles 22 to 24.