CHENNAI: The plea for additional protection under Section 22 of the Geographical Indication of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act to 238 agricultural, handloom, handicraft and textile products are being considered by the Union government, the Assistant Solicitor General S Srinivasan informed the first Bench of Madras High Court.
The ASG informed the Bench of Chief Justice SK Kaul and Justice MM Sundresh when a PIL from the Intellectual Property Rights Attorney Association, filed by its president P Sanjay Gandhi, came up for hearing on March 21.
The Bench noted that in response to the earlier representation by the petitioner association, the Union Ministry of Commerce and Industry on May 30, 2014 had forwarded it to the GI Registry to examine it. However, Sanjay Gandhi told the judges that no response had been received and a reminder was sent on March 6, 2016.
The ASG stated that within eight weeks, there would be a comprehensive disposal of the petitoner’s representation on the issue.
The PIL prayed for a directive to the Union Ministry to issue a notification in its gazette in respect of the 238 products which were already given Geographical Indications tag under Section 22(2) of the Act, to register under Sec. 22 of the Act to allow the registered users to seek additional protection of their products/goods by considering the representations dated July 21, 2014 and March 6, 2016.