GI Registration and the Textile Industry

The success of getting the Geographical Indication Registration for 'Pochampally Ikat' has motivated the Government of India and, more specifically the Union Textile Ministry to request the Andhra Pradesh Textiles Development Committee (APTDC) to identify all handloom products, which can be registered under the system. APTDC would also be given a commission for carrying out a countrywide survey to locate such goods. A national programme for preparing the textile industry for globalization in the WTO regime has been initiated by the Textile Committee.

GI is a part of the Trade Related Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) agreement signed under the WTO framework. Geographical Indications of Goods are defined as that aspect of industrial property which refer to the geographical indication referring to a country or to a place situated therein as being the country or place of origin of that product. Such a name conveys an assurance of quality and distinctiveness which is essentially