New gi tags

WHY IN NEWS?

Three new commodities have been provided with GI Tag:

• Black rice of Manipur, also known as Chak-Hao. It is black in colour due to anthocyanin agent.
• Kovilpatti Kadalai Mittai is a pea nut candy made in southern parts of Tamil Nadu. It is prepared from ground nut, jaggery and water from the river Thamirabarani.
• Gorakhpur Terracotta, the potters of the town make animal figures like elephants, horses.

ABOUT GI TAG

• GI Tag is an intellectual property, which comes under industrial property. Other categories are patents, trademarks, industrial design and copyright.
• GI Tag is a sign used on goods that have a specific geographical origin and posses qualities or a reputation due to that place of origin.
• The registration of a geographical indication is valid for a period of 10 years.
• It can be renewed from time to time for further period of 10 years each.
• In India, Geographical Indications registration is administered by the Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999.
• Geographical Indications are covered as a component of intellectual property rights (IPRs) under the Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property.
• GI is also governed by the World Trade Organisation’s (WTO’s) Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS).