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GS Paper: Intellectual Property Rights

  • Understanding Software Copyright and Licences

    This newscard is an excerpt from the original article published in The Hindu.

    Does software have copyright? Even more specifically, is the Internet free inspite of software copyright? Are software programming languages free of cost? How does copyright apply to software?

    Software licensing

    • A copyright gives a creator the legal right to own, distribute and profit from his or her creative work.
    • There are different kinds of software licences that allow free use of software:

    (1) Proprietary License

    • There is proprietary software which is to be purchased as a one-time transaction or as yearly licences.
    • A popular example is Microsoft Windows which is purchased along with the computer or Microsoft Office which typically has a yearly licence that has to be renewed upon payment.

    (2) Creative Commons licence (CC)

    • There is the Creative Commons licence (CC) which is public domain: any software or work that is in CC can be used and distributed free of cost.
    • For example, Wikipedia is under CC and hence its contents can be used freely with the condition that attribution is made to Wikipedia (this is called ‘Creative Commons – Attribution-ShareAlike).

    (3) Permissive Software licence

    • Another form of free software licence is Permissive Software licence which is popular in the software developer community and in the commercial world.
    • This licence allows free use and modification of software. There are further specific licences under this category, like the Apache licence and MIT licence.

    (4) Apache licence

    • The Apache licence is maintained by the Apache Software Foundation which is a non-profit entity.
    • Many popular and powerful softwares like Spark (used in Big Data) have been developed under Apache licence.
    • MIT licence is maintained by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and it covers hundreds of software packages including GitLab and Dot NET.

    What are Open Software?

    • All free and permissive software licences are similar to Free and Open Source Software (FOSS).
    • This is a set of rules and free software brought under one umbrella in the 1980s by Richard Stallman, a famous computer scientist and activist.
    • FOSS maintains its own licence, called GNU GPL (Gnu’s Not Unix General Public Licence) to govern and distribute free software but it comes with restrictions that its adoption and modification be for free use.
    • In the software community, ‘open source’ means any of the above non-proprietary licences.

    Who maintains open source softwares?

    • Open source software packages are developed and maintained by programmers from around the world.
    • Until the mid-1990s, the idea of the general public collaborating to create software for free seemed to be unrealistic and confined to small, elite communities.
    • However, with the success of a free operating system like Linux (which is under GNU GPL licence), many were convinced that open source could create sophisticated solutions because of access to top programmers around the world.

    Is the Internet free?

    • To access and to create content on the internet, there are costs involved such as infrastructure costs like network cost and the cost to host and maintain the content.
    • However, the core of the internet itself is free: it is free to use ideas like linking contents on the internet, transferring them with a network software protocol and adopting the associated standards like maintaining the website address (Uniform Resource Locator-URL).

    Are programming languages free of cost?

    • Until the 1980s, popular programming languages had a price but with the advent of Java in the 1990s and thanks to the initiatives of Richard Stallman and his Free Software Foundation in the 1980s, many languages, especially modern ones like Go or popular ones like Python are free.
    • Java is somewhere in the middle where there are free implementations of the language that most software developers use but there are also paid implementations provided by Oracle.
    • In general, the realisation in the software community is that a free language has widespread adoption and leads to the availability of an expert pool of programmers.
    • The last two decades have seen a proliferation of open source software and the future is even more exciting.

     

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  • A blow to equitable access to essential medicines

    Context

    At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in October 2020, India and South Africa had tabled a proposal seeking a temporary waiver on COVID-19 related products from the TRIPS. Nearly 18 months later, 164 members of the WTO could not find common ground on the “waiver proposal”.

    How will the waiver help?

    •  The application and enforcement of intellectual property rights (IPRs) are affecting the timely provisioning of affordable medical products to patients.
    • Therefore, India and South Africa argued that therefore, argued that “rapid scaling up of manufacturing globally” was “an obvious crucial solution to address the timely availability and affordability of medical products to all countries in need”, and for doing so, IPRs must be waived for at least three years. 

    The EU solution

    • The EU had proposed in a submission in June 2021 that “[c]ompulsory licences are a perfectly legitimate tool that governments may wish to use in the context of a pandemic”.
    • India and South Africa, the movers of the “waiver proposal”, are among the four countries that found a “compromise outcome”.
    • Only vaccines are included: The solution is a severely truncated version of the “waiver proposal” in terms of product coverage, as only vaccines are included.
    • Generally, patent laws, including that of India’s, allow for the grant of compulsory licences if patent holders charge high prices on the proprietary medicines in exercise of their monopoly rights.
    • Moreover, such licences can usually be granted if efforts in obtaining voluntary licences from the patent holders have failed.
    • The EU proposal states there that in case of a medical urgency, as is the case now, this condition will be waived.
    • The proposal also provides that WTO members would be able to issue compulsory licences even if they do not currently have the provisions to issue them under their national patent laws.
    • Compulsory licences can even be granted using executive orders, emergency decrees, and judicial or administrative orders.

    Issues with the EU solution

    1] Eligible member criteria

    •  The waiver solution can be used only by an “eligible member”, defined as a “developing country member” of the WTO that “had exported less than 10 percent of world exports of COVID-19 vaccine doses in 2021”.
    •  This means that Bangladesh, which is still a least developed country, but has a growing pharmaceutical industry, is also excluded.
    • Restricting China: The eligibility condition seems to have been introduced to limit China’s expansion in the global vaccine market.
    • No concern for India: At the current juncture, India does not have to be concerned with the export restriction clause, as its share in global exports of vaccines was 2.4% as on January 31.

    2] Export restrictions in the form of eligibility criteria

    • While introducing the above-mentioned export restriction, the solution proposes to waive the obligation under Article 31(f) of the TRIPS Agreement.
    • Article 31(f) provides that the compulsory licences issued by any WTO member must be used “predominantly for the supply of the domestic market”.
    • But while they have proposed removal of Article 31(f), solution includes a more stringent export restriction in the form of the eligibility criteria mentioned above.

    3] Further conditions

    • The proposed condition of listing all patents covered under the compulsory licences is not a requirement under the TRIPS Agreement.
    • Similarly, there is no obligation to notify the details of licensee, the quantity and export destination under the TRIPS provisions.
    • But the EU proposal text proposes mandatory notification.

    4] Transfer of know-how is not ensured

    • According to the EU, when compulsory licences are granted, the “patent holder receives adequate remuneration”, but “[t]ransfer of know-how is not ensured”.
    • This demerit of compulsory licences would make it difficult to scale up production of COVID-19 vaccines, medicines, and medical devices in the developing world, thus constraining their availability at affordable prices.

    Conclusion

    It must be said that by accepting the “compromise outcome”, India and South Africa could jeopardise their high moral ground.  Consequently, the global community would lose an important opportunity to ensure that vaccines and medicines are accessible to all.

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  • Patent Rights on COVID-19 jabs may be waived

    The World Trade Organization chief has hailed a breakthrough between the EU, the United States, India and South Africa on waiving intellectual property rights on Covid-19 vaccines.

    What is a Patent?

    • A patent is an exclusive right granted for an invention.
    • In other words, a patent is an exclusive right to a product or a process that generally provides a new way of doing something, or offers a new technical solution to a problem.
    • To get a patent, technical information about the invention must be disclosed to the public in a patent application.
    • The patent owner may give permission to, or license, other parties to use the invention on mutually agreed terms.
    • The owner may also sell the right to the invention to someone else, who will then become the new owner of the patent.
    • Once a patent expires, the protection ends, and an invention enters the public domain; that is, anyone can commercially exploit the invention without infringing the patent.

    Terms of Patent

    • Patents may be granted for inventions in any field of technology, from an everyday kitchen utensil to a nanotechnology chip.
    • An invention can be a product – such as a chemical compound, or a process, for example – or a process for producing a specific chemical compound.
    • Patent protection is granted for a limited period, generally 20 years from the filing date of the application.
    • Patents are territorial rights. In general, the exclusive rights are only applicable in the country or region in which a patent has been filed and granted, in accordance with the law of that country or region.

    Back2Basics: Intellectual Properties

    • IP is protected in law by, for example, patents, copyright and trademarks, which enable people to earn recognition or financial benefit from what they invent or create.
    • By striking the right balance between the interests of innovators and the wider public interest, the IP system aims to foster an environment in which creativity and innovation can flourish.

    Types of IP:

    (1) Copyright

    • Copyright is a legal term used to describe the rights that creators have over their literary and artistic works.
    • Works covered by copyright range from books, music, paintings, sculpture and films, to computer programs, databases, advertisements, maps and technical drawings.

    (2) Patents

    Discussed above

    (3) Trademarks

    • A trademark is a sign capable of distinguishing the goods or services of one enterprise from those of other enterprises.
    • Trademarks date back to ancient times when artisans used to put their signature or “mark” on their products.

    (4) Geographical Indications

    • Geographical indications and appellations of origin are signs used on goods that have a specific geographical origin and possess qualities, a reputation or characteristics that are essentially attributable to that place of origin.
    • Most commonly, a geographical indication includes the name of the place of origin of the goods.

    (5) Trade secrets

    • Trade secrets are IP rights on confidential information which may be sold or licensed.
    • The unauthorized acquisition, use or disclosure of such secret information in a manner contrary to honest commercial practices by others is regarded as an unfair practice and a violation of the trade secret protection.

     

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  • Plea seeks GI tag for Arunachal Apatani textile product

    An application seeking a Geographical Indication (GI) tag for the Arunachal Pradesh Apatani textile product has been filed by a firm.

    Apatani textile

    • The Apatani weave comes from the Apatani tribe of Arunachal Pradesh living at Ziro, the headquarters of lower Subansiri district.
    • The woven fabric of this tribe is known for its geometric and zigzag patterns and also for its angular designs.
    • The community weaves its own textiles for various occasions, including rituals and cultural festivals.
    • The tribe predominantly weaves shawls known as jig-jiro and jilan or jackets called supuntarii.
    • The traditional handloom of this tribe is a type of loin loom, which is called Chichin, and is similar to the traditional handloom of the Nyishi tribe.

    What makes it special?

    • The people here use different leaves and plant resources for organic dying the cotton yarns in their traditional ways.
    • Only women folk are engaged in weaving.

     

    Answer this PYQ in the comment box:

     

    Q.Which of the following has/have been accorded ‘Geographical Indication’ status?

    1. Banaras Brocades and Sarees
    2. Rajasthani Daal-Bati-Churma
    3. Tirupathi Laddu

    Select the correct answer using the code given below:

    (a) 1 only

    (b) 2 and 3 only

    (c) 1 and 3 only

    (d) 1, 2 and 3

     

    [wpdiscuz-feedback id=”3krodtowqp” question=”Please leave a feedback on this” opened=”1″]Post your answers here.[/wpdiscuz-feedback]

    About Geographical Indication

    • A GI is a sign used on products that have a specific geographical origin and possess qualities or a reputation that are due to that origin.
    • Nodal Agency: Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Ministry of Commerce and Industry
    • India, as a member of the World Trade Organization (WTO), enacted the Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999 w.e.f. September 2003.
    • GIs have been defined under Article 22 (1) of the WTO Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) Agreement.
    • GI is granted for a term of 10 years in India. As of today, more than 300 GI tags has been allocated so far in India (*Wikipedia).
    • The tag stands valid for 10 years.

     

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  • Kallakurichi Wood Carvings and Karuppur Kalamkari Paintings get GI tag

    In Tamil Nadu, the Karuppur kalamkari paintings and the Kallakurichi wood carvings recently received the geographical indication (GI) tags.

    [A] Kallakurichi Wood Carvings

    • The Kallakurichi wood carvings are a unique form of wood carving practiced in Tamil Nadu.
    • It involves the application of ornamentation and designs, derived from traditional styles by the craftsmen.
    • They are mainly practiced in Kallakurichi, Chinnaselam and Thirukkovilur taluks of Kallakurichi district.

    [B] Karuppur Kalamkari Paintings

    • Kalamkari paintings are done on pure cotton cloth, predominantly used in temples for umbrella covers, cylindrical hangings, chariot covers and asmanagiri (false ceiling cloth pieces).
    • Documentary evidence shows that kalamkari paintings evolved under the patronage of Nayaka rulers in the early 17th century.

    Back2Basics: Geographical Indication

    • A GI is a sign used on products that have a specific geographical origin and possess qualities or a reputation that are due to that origin.
    • Nodal Agency: Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Ministry of Commerce and Industry
    • India, as a member of the World Trade Organization (WTO), enacted the Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999 w.e.f. September 2003.
    • GIs have been defined under Article 22 (1) of the WTO Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) Agreement.
    • GI is granted for a term of 10 years in India. As of today, more than 300 GI tags has been allocated so far in India (*Wikipedia).
    • The tag stands valid for 10 years.

     

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  • [pib] GI tagged sweet dish Mihidana

    The first consignment of GI-tagged sweet dish Mihidana sourced from Bardhaman, West Bengal has been exported to the Kingdom of Bahrain.

    About Mihidana

    • Mihidana, described as the micro cousin of the traditional Boondi, is derived from two words, Mihi meaning fine, and Dana, meaning grain.
    • The dessert is made from powdered Kaminibhog, Gobindobhog and basmati rice, mixed with a small amount of gram flour and saffron for a golden colour.
    • It is then blended with water by hand till its colour lightens.
    • This mix is then poured through a brass ladle with tiny holes into a pot of ghee and deep-fried.
    • The fine fried small rice-like grains are dipped in sugar syrup and drained once soaked.

    Back2Basics: Geographical Indication

    • A GI is a sign used on products that have a specific geographical origin and possess qualities or a reputation that are due to that origin.
    • Nodal Agency: Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Ministry of Commerce and Industry
    • India, as a member of the World Trade Organization (WTO), enacted the Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999 w.e.f. September 2003.
    • GIs have been defined under Article 22 (1) of the WTO Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) Agreement.
    • GI is granted for a term of 10 years in India. As of today, more than 300 GI tags has been allocated so far in India (*Wikipedia).
    • The tag stands valid for 10 years.

     

    Answer this PYQ in the comment box:

    Q.Which of the following has/have been accorded ‘Geographical Indication’ status?

    1. Banaras Brocades and Sarees
    2. Rajasthani Daal-Bati-Churma
    3. Tirupathi Laddu

    Select the correct answer using the code given below:

    (a) 1 only

    (b) 2 and 3 only

    (c) 1 and 3 only

    (d) 1, 2 and 3

    [wpdiscuz-feedback id=”e2pqlqv8zy” question=”Please leave a feedback on this” opened=”1″]Post your answers here.[/wpdiscuz-feedback]

     

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  • GI ecosystem

    This editorial discusses various economic and socio-cultural benefits offered by the Geographical Indication (GI) Tagging.

    What is Geographical Indication?

    • A GI is a sign used on products that have a specific geographical origin and possess qualities or a reputation that are due to that origin.
    • India, as a member of the World Trade Organization (WTO), enacted the Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999 w.e.f. September 2003.
    • GIs have been defined under Article 22 (1) of the WTO Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) Agreement.
    • GI is granted for a term of 10 years in India. As of today, more than 300 GI tags has been allocated so far in India (*Wikipedia).

    Why must we promote GI?

    Several studies show that the patents and copyright protection of products under GIs result in higher economic gains, fostering quality production and better distribution of profits.

    • Lost in history: Most GI are either assigned to the dusty pages of history books or left to rural artisans to propagate and preserve.
    • Source of income: Today, with the emphasis on climate change and sustainability, these products can be ready revenue generators.
    • Demand in e-com market: A modern distribution system exists in India’s robust global e-commerce backbone which will propel the nascent GI industry onto the national and world stage.

    Need for govt support

    • GI products need the support of governments.
    • The Europeans are masters at it, as seen by products such as Brie cheese and sparkling wine from Champagne. The EU has an $87 billion GI economy.
    • China has also done very well by GI, strengthening e-commerce in rural areas and actively promoting agricultural special product brands in lesser developed areas.

    Role of GI in China’s rise

    • A 2017 UNCTAD report on inclusive growth and e-commerce deems China’s e-commerce-driven growth as inclusive.
    • That means China has successfully empowered micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to compete with large companies on the same stage, with no geographic boundaries.
    • Likewise, despite a globally depressed market for wines, the produce from the Ningxia region of China saw exports surge 46.4 per cent in 2020, benefitting 211 wineries in Ningxia.
    • The output value of GI producers in China totalled $92.771 billion as of 2020.

    Socio-cultural benefits offered by GI

    • GI protection has wider positive benefits, especially for local communities.
    • In particular, it encourages the preservation of biodiversity, local know-how and natural resources. And this is where India can do well.
    • Multiple benefits flows from a strong GI ecosystem, which can be a wellspring of economic and soft power.
    • It will automatically resolve the three fraught India issues of poor pay for talent, low female participation in the labour force, and urban migration.

    How can GI induce economic transformation?

    (1) Promotes Entrepreneurship and ‘Passion Economy’

    • It will convert talent into entrepreneurship with gig workers, and create a “passion” economy, that is, a new way for individuals to monetise their skills and scale their businesses exponentially.
    • It removes the hurdles associated with freelance work to earn a regular income from a source other than an employer.

    (2) Employment generation

    • The labour-intensive nature of GI offers the best solution to boosting the employment-to-population ratio in India.
    • India presently has an abysmal 43 per cent compared with the 55 per cent global average.

    (3) Women Empowerment

    • GI production mostly involves artisanal work-from-home culture.
    • Monetising this artisanal work done at home will increase India’s low female labour force participation rate, which at 21 per cent in 2019 was half the 47 per cent global average.

    (4) Prevents migration

    • The hyper-localised nature of GI offers solutions to reverse urban migration and conserve India’s ancient crafts, culture and food.

    (5) MSME Promotion

    • A rejuvenation of MSMEs, which account for 31 per cent of India’s GDP and 45 per cent of exports, will follow.
    • An estimated 55.80 million MSMEs employ close to 130 million people; of this, 14 per cent are women-led enterprises and 59.5 per cent are rural.

    (6) GI Tourism

    • Another revenue-earner, GI tourism, is typically a by-product of a strong GI ecosystem.

    Hurdles in GIs progress

    (1) Credit Facilities and Capacity Building

    • Since GI businesses are micro, it is necessary to address the challenges of capacity-building, formal or easy access to credit.
    • There is a need for forming marketing linkages, research and development, product innovation and competitiveness in both domestic and international markets.

    (2) Issue of Intermediaries

    • With the shift to digital platforms, the distribution margins of these gate keepers or mandi agents must be competitive.
    • They often act as countervailing agents by getting into similar businesses or product lines which will erode GI producer incomes.

    (3) Ensuring smoother transition

    • As seen from the experience of the new farm laws, this will be a task for the central and state governments; they must ensure the transition without breaking down too many existing linkages.

    Way forward

    • Control: Guardrails like regular audits and consultations with the GI producers must be mandated.
    • Cooperative management: Pulling it together will be local GI cooperative bodies or associations which can be nationally managed by a GI board.
    • Ministerial support: The Department for the Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) and the Ministry of Commerce department should be tasked with developing this new sector.
    • Digital literacy: Finally, a required skill for GI producers is digital literacy. This should be a priority agenda item for NGOs and stakeholders like the DPIIT.

    Conclusion

    • It is an opportunity for India to redefine the future of work using automation, technology and artificial intelligence while simultaneously enhancing and adorning the country’s talented local work force.
    • The Indian GI economy can be a platform for India to showcase to the world a model for ethical capitalism, social entrepreneurship, de-urbanisation, and bringing women to the workforce, on the back of a robust digital system.
    • It recalls and attributes of multi-cultural ethos, authenticity, and ethnic diversity are potential turbochargers for the country’s economy.
    • It encompasses the concept of trusteeship, as advocated by Mahatma Gandhi and more recently, by our PM at the UN. It is truly Made in India.

     

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  • GI in news: Goa Cashew Feni

    The Goa government’s Feni Policy 2021 has paved the way to take the state’s ‘heritage drink’ forward.

    Sounds strange but an alcoholic beverage has been GI tagged!

    Goa Cashew Feni

    • Feni is a spirit produced in Goa, India.
    • The two most popular types of feni are cashew feni and toddy palm feni, depending on the original ingredient; however, many other varieties are sold.
    • Feni distilleries are usually family-run affairs, and the history of the drink goes back to at least 1585.
    • The feni consumed in South Goa is generally of higher alcohol content (43-45% abv) as compared to the feni produced in North Goa.
    • Commercially packaged feni is available at 42.8% abv.
    • Cashew feni was awarded Geographical Indication registration in 2009 as a speciality alcoholic beverage from Goa.
    • It has been described as a colourless, clear liquid that when matured in wooden barrels develops golden brown tint.

    Must read

    GI Tags in News

     

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  • Digital Millennium Copyright Act

    Union Minister for Electronics and Information Technology was locked out of his Twitter account for an hour allegedly over a notice received for violation of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA).

    Why such a move by Twitter?

    • The DMCA oversees the implementation of two 1996 treaties signed by World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) member nations.

    What is the DMCA?

    • The Digital Millennium Copyright Act, or DMCA, is a 1998 law passed in the US and is among the world’s first laws recognizing intellectual property on the internet.
    • The law oversees the implementation of the two treaties signed and agreed upon by member nations of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) in 1996.
    • WIPO members had then agreed upon two treaties, namely the WIPO Copyright Treaty and the WIPO Performances and Phonograms Treaty.
    • The said protection, accorded by each member state, must not be any less in any way than the one being given to a domestic copyright holder.
    • Further, it also obligates those signatories to the treaty to ensure ways to prevent circumvention of the technical measures used to protect copyrighted work.
    • It also provides the necessary international legal protection to digital content.

    What is WIPO and how does it ensure the protection of content on the internet?

    • The rapid commercialization of the internet in the late 1990s started with static advertisement panels being displayed on the internet.
    • It became important for website owners to get the user to spend more time on their webpage.
    • For this, fresh content was generated by creators and shared over the Internet.
    • The problem started when the content would be copied by unscrupulous websites or users, who did not generate content on their own.
    • Further, as the Internet expanded worldwide, websites from countries other than the one where the content originated, also started to copy the unique content generated by the websites.
    • To avoid this and bring to task the unauthorized copiers, the members of WIPO, which was established in 1967, also agreed to extend the copyright and intellectual property protection to digital content.
    • As of date, 193 nations across the world, including India, are members of WIPO.

    Who can generate a DMCA notice and how are they sent to companies or websites?

    • Any content creator of any form, who believes that their original content has been copied by the user or a website without authorization can file an application citing their intellectual property has been stolen or violated.
    • Users can either approach the website on which the content has been hosted, or third-party service providers like DMCA.com, which utilize a team of experts to help take down the stolen content for a small fee.
    • In the case of social media intermediaries like Facebook, Instagram or Twitter, content creators can directly approach the platform with proof of them being original creators.
    • Since these companies operate in nations that are signatories to the WIPO treaty, they are obligated to remove the said content if they receive a valid and legal DMCA takedown notice.
    • Platforms, however, also give the other users against whom allegations of content cheating have been made, a chance to reply to the DMCA notice by filing a counter-notice.
    • The platform shall then decide which party is telling the truth and shall accordingly, either restore the content or keep it hidden.

  • [pib] Shahi Litchi from Bihar exported to the UK

    In a major boost to the export of GI-certified products, the season’s first consignment of Shahi Litchi from Bihar was exported to the United Kingdom by the air route.

    Tap here to read about all GI-tagged products in news.

    Shahi Litchi

    • India is the second-largest producer of litchi (Litchi chin) in the world, after China.
    • The translucent, flavored aril or edible flesh of the litchi is popular as a table fruit in India, while in China and Japan it is preferred in dried or canned form.
    • Shahi litchi was the fourth agricultural product to get GI certification from Bihar in 2018, after Jardalu mango, Katarni rice, and Magahi paan.
    • GI registration for Shahi Litchi is held with the Muzaffarpur-based Litchi Growers Association of Bihar.
    • Muzzafarpur, Vaishali, Samastipur, Champaran, Begusarai districts and adjoining areas of Bihar have favorable climate for growing Shahi Litchi.

    Back2Basics: Geographical Indication (GI)

    • The World Intellectual Property Organisation defines a GI as “a sign used on products that have a specific geographical origin and possess qualities or a reputation that are due to that origin”.
    • GIs are typically used for agricultural products, foodstuffs, handicrafts, industrial products, wines and spirit drinks.
    • Internationally, GIs are covered as an element of intellectual property rights under the Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property.
    • They have also covered under the Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) Agreement.