Government of India, Intellectual Property Office: Guidelines for Filing of Geographical Indication Application

The application should include the various requirements and criteria for processing a geographical application as specified in Rule 32(1) which details interalia:

How the indication serves to designate the goods as a Geographical Indication?

The Class of goods;

The territory ;

The particulars of appearance ;

Particulars of producers;

An affidavit of how the applicant claim to represent the interest;

The standard bench mark or other characteristics of the geographical indication;

The particulars of special characteristics;

Textual description of the proposed boundary;

The growth attributes in relation to the G.I. pertinent to the application;

Certified copies of the map of the territory

Special human skill involved, if any;

Number of producers; and

Particulars of inspection structures, if any, to regulate the use of geographical indication.

On receipt of the application, a number will be allotted. Thereafter, the application would be examined to check whether it meets the requirements of the Act and Rules. For this purpose the Registrar shall ordinarily constitute a Consultative Group of experts to ascertain the correctness of the particulars furnished. After issuance of the Examination Report submission would be considered. If no objections is raised it would be accepted and would be advertised in the Geographical Indications Journal. An opposition can be lodged within a maximum of four month period. If the opposition is dismissed, the application will proceed to registration in Part A of the Register unless the Central Government otherwise directs.

After a geographical indication is registered any person claiming to be the producer of the registered geographical indication can file an application for registration as an authorised user in Part B of the Register. The procedure for registration as an authorised user is similar to that for the registration of a geographical indication.

For more information please address your queries to

The Registrar of Geographical Indication,

Guna complex, No.443/304 Anna Salai,

Teynampet, Chennai-6000 018

Phone: 044-4314293/94/95/96/97/98

(From, Government of India, Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion, http://ipindia.nic.in/ipr/gi/gi_guidelines.htm)