History of GI TAGS in India

History of Geographical Indication (GI) tags in India:

A Geographical Indication (GI) is a name or sign that is used on products to distinguish them from others because they have a certain quality, use traditional methods of production, or have a reputation due to their geographical origin.

GI dates back to the early twentieth century in France as appellation d'origine controlee (AOC), but it has since spread to various countries, including India, that are members of the World Trade Organization (WTO), thanks to the WTO Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS), which was signed in 1994.

In India, GI tags are issued in accordance with the provisions of the Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999, which went into effect on September 15, 2003, by the Geographical Indication Registry, which is part of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry's Department of Industry Promotion and Internal Trade.

Any individual producer, association of persons, organisation, or authority established by or under the law may apply for a GI tag, and the application should be written in the proper format and submitted to the concerned authority along with the prescribed fee. A GI tag is only valid for ten years, but it can be renewed for another ten years at a time through each subsequent renewal.

Darjeeling Tea was the first product in India to receive a GI tag, which was issued between 2004 and 2005, and the number of registrations and applications has grown rapidly since then.

According to the Indian government, approximately 370 Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999, GI tags have been assigned to various goods.