The Geographical Indications (GI) laws are basically a set of rules that regulate how a particular product can be marketed and sold under the GI tag. These rules were introduced in order to protect the intellectual property rights of registered trademarks and service marks.

In India, the Geographical Indications Act, 1999 was passed by the Parliament of India. This act provides protection to products that are identified with geographical origin. Under this law, only those products that originate from a specific location can carry a GI tag. A GI tag holder has the exclusive right to use the GI tag on their products. In other words, they cannot use any other company’s GI tags. They are also not allowed to sell their products under different GI tags.

This law applies to food items, beverages, cosmetics, clothing, footwear, textiles, leather goods, pharmaceuticals, and agricultural products. However, the law does not apply to industrial products, machinery, tools, equipment, and electronic devices.