Eastern India lead in GI registrations, MP records highest registration in 2025-26
Madhya Pradesh recorded the highest number of new Geographical Indication (GI) registrations among all states in financial year 2025-26
Eastern India collectively secured the highest number of new GI registrations among all regions of the country in the same period
A DPIIT-supported Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) Chair at the West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences (WBNUJS) facilitated the maximum number of GI registrations for West Bengal
JHARCRAFT, Jharkhand's state handicrafts development corporation, played the equivalent facilitating role for Jharkhand's GI applications
The Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999
A GI is a sign used on products that have a specific geographical origin and possess qualities, reputation, or characteristics essentially attributable to that origin. In India, GIs are registered under the Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999, which came into force on 15 September 2003, along with the GI Rules, 2002. Registration is administered by the GI Registry at Chennai, functioning under the Controller General of Patents, Designs and Trade Marks (CGPDTM), itself part of the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
Key Details
- Applications are filed in Form GI-1 with the Registrar of Geographical Indications, Chennai
- Only an association of persons, producers, an organisation, or an authority established by law can apply — individuals cannot register a GI in their own name
- Filing fee: ₹5,000 for individuals/producer associations; ₹10,000 for government organisations and other entities
- Registration is valid for an initial period of 10 years and is renewable thereafter
- India's first GI tag was granted to Darjeeling Tea in 2004-05
The MP, West Bengal, and Jharkhand registrations follow this same statutory process — an eligible association or authority (a state corporation, university IPR cell, or producer group) must compile the technical and historical evidence required for the GI Registry to grant protection.
GI as a Distinct Category of Intellectual Property
A GI differs from a trademark or patent in that it protects a collective regional identity rather than an individual or corporate owner. Internationally, GI protection is recognised under Articles 22-24 of the WTO's TRIPS Agreement, which requires member states to provide legal means to prevent misleading use of geographical indications and gives additional protection to wines and spirits.
Key Details
- A trademark identifies the commercial source of a good (owned by one entity); a GI identifies a good originating in a specific place, owned collectively by producers of that region
- GI rights are non-transferable and non-licensable to producers outside the defined geographical area
- Once registered, no unauthorised person can use the GI even on similar goods, and unauthorised use is punishable under the 1999 Act
Because GI rights vest in the whole community of producers of a region, states use nodal facilitating institutions (like WBNUJS's IPR Chair or JHARCRAFT) rather than individual applicants to prepare and file GI applications on behalf of producer groups.
DPIIT-IPR Chairs and State Nodal Agencies as GI Facilitators
The DPIIT has supported the establishment of Intellectual Property Rights Chairs at select universities, including WBNUJS, to build technical capacity for drafting GI applications, given the extensive documentary evidence (historical linkage, production process, geographical boundary maps) that an application requires. States without such university chairs often rely on dedicated corporations — Jharkhand uses JHARCRAFT (the Jharkhand Silk Textile and Handicraft Development Corporation) for its handicraft and textile GI filings.
Key Details
- These facilitating bodies do not themselves hold the GI; they assist producer associations in compiling and filing the Form GI-1 application
- The facilitation model has been credited with the acceleration in state-level GI filings across eastern and central India in recent years
- Similar facilitation exists in other states through science and technology councils, agriculture universities, or state handicraft boards
The description of WBNUJS and JHARCRAFT "securing" registrations reflects this facilitator role — the actual GI is registered in the name of the producer association, cooperative, or state authority.
- GI Act, 1999 in force since 15 September 2003; GI Registry located in Chennai
- India's first registered GI: Darjeeling Tea (2004-05)
- GI registration validity: 10 years, renewable
- Filing fee: ₹5,000 (individual/producer association) / ₹10,000 (government/other entity)
- Madhya Pradesh recorded the highest number of new GI registrations among individual states in FY 2025-26 [Unverified — exact count varies across secondary reports]
- Eastern India recorded the highest number of new GI registrations among all regions of India in FY 2025-26