Labels of origin
Have you heard of the term Geographical Indication (GI)? According to the World Intellectual Property Organization, GI is a sign which identifies a good as originating from a particular geographical region and possessing qualities associated with that origin. In other words, GI tag is similar to the protection that a Trademark or Copyright offers. For example, Banglar Rasogolla is a food item that originates in West Bengal and has a GI tag that identifies it as originating in West Bengal. The Rasogolla can be made, or come from anywhere else in the world, but the one that comes from West Bengal will have a GI tag attached to it and cannot be replicated.
GI can be used for agricultural products, food stuffs, handicrafts and industrial products, among others. In India, it is granted by the Geographical Indications Registry in Chennai grants the GI tag. There are 344 goods in India that have the GI tag. Today, let’s take a look at a few of them.
PHOTOS: Wikimedia Commons, Ritu Raj Konwar, K Ananthan, M. Moorthy, S. Siva Saravanan, P V Sivakumar and H S Manjunath,