Draft Guidelines for use of the Geographical Indication (GI) Logo – A comprehensive summary and analysis

Recently, on November 18, 2025, the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (“DPIIT”), Ministry of Commerce and Industry, released draft guidelines for the use of the Geographical Indication (“GI”) Logo for comments and suggestions from the general public and concerned stakeholders. This comes in light of the Government of India’s process of developing comprehensive guidelines for the use of the GI logo.

GI refers to an indication which identifies goods as agricultural, natural or manufactured goods (including handicrafts, food items) as originating, or manufactured in a definite geographical territory, where a given quality, reputation, or other characteristic of such goods is essentially attributable to its geographical origin; in case of manufactured goods, one of the activities of either production or processing or preparation takes place in such territory, region or locality.

Re - Defining Authorized Users & permissible use of the GI logo and tagline

The draft guidelines expand the scope of Authorized Users (earlier limited to “producers” of a good which has a registered GI ) to include any other person who has assent of the authorized user(s) or procures the goods directly or indirectly from the authorized user(s) of such goods, including dealers, packagers, any intermediaries in the supply chain.

While the rationale behind expanding the pool of authorized users of the GI logo and tagline might be to increase transparency and ease of purchasing an authentic product registered under GI, and to also increase the visibility of such products, this move may be counterproductive as such expansive use may lead to the dilution of the authenticity associated with the GI logo and tagline, may also unjustly enrich the intermediaries, who may procure authentic products at a minimal rate, but sell them at a higher price to consumers by virtue of the GI logo and tagline attached by them more prominently on the packaging, brochures or other business incidentals. Pertinently, a similar set of guidelines was published in 2019 mandated DPIIT’s approval before any e-commerce platform or retail store could use the GI logo and tagline on their respective online sites or brick and mortar stores. Any such requirement is absent from the current proposed guidelines.

Restrictions on the use of the GI logo and tagline

In a bid to curb the unauthorized or misleading use of the GI logo and tagline, a list of instances that do not permit use of the GI logo is detailed, which includes:

• Unauthorized users;

• In respect of goods which do not originate from the defined geographical area (for e.g., a person selling laddus from Kanpur cannot pass off the same as Tirupati laddu without adhering to the exact recipe or requirements specified during registration of Tirupati laddu as a GI product.);

• In respect of goods which do not conform to the production or manufacturing practices outlined in the registration;

• In respect of goods that do not conform to product specifications or quality standards;

• Any person who does not have the assent of the authorized user or is not sourcing goods from an authorized user, or from the dealers, packagers or any intermediary of the authorized user.

  
  

By expanding the scope of the definition of the authorized user (as discussed in the previous section), wider protection is also afforded to the authentic GI products sold by intermediaries. However, this risks innocent or unaware buyers who may purchase spurious goods carrying the GI logo and tagline from such intermediaries, instead of actual producers, which in turn would dilute the authority of the GI logo and tagline and be detrimental to actual producers who are preserving the true heritage of the country.

Restriction on, and regulation of the use of Expressions/Indications identical or similar to GI (Registered Name)

The use of the expressions or indications identical or similar to the GI (Registered Name) are restricted by the Geographical Indication of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999. Expressions/indications whose appearance and pronunciation are confusing in a way that consumers assume that the products to which said expressions/indications are affixed have the same characteristics as the registered GI products are prohibited.

Specifications and use of the GI logo

The guidelines prescribe the manner of use of the GI logo and tagline and emphasise their role in distinguishing GI goods from generic products, enabling consumer identification of authentic GI goods, supporting international branding, and preventing counterfeiting.

As per the guideline, the GI logo and tagline must be clearly printed, of sufficient size for easy identification, and must retain their original design proportions, colour format, and tagline visibility. Any distortion or alteration is strictly prohibited. The guidelines promote prominent affixation of the GI logo and tagline on all packaging, labelling, and promotional materials relating to GI goods.

However, the GI logo and tagline must not be used on processed products that merely use registered GI goods as ingredients. Further, their use is restricted exclusively to registered Indian GI products and is prohibited in relation to unregistered products, foreign GIs, or any unrelated goods

Conclusion

The draft guidelines are a welcome step in strengthening the role played by the GI logo and tagline in identifying authentic GI registered products. The guidelines also highlight the value of the GI logo as a universal certifying authority for Indian GI registered products, not only for local consumers, but also for consumers from abroad, thereby increasing the commercial value of such goods. Importantly, DPIIT has understood the need for stakeholder engagement, especially in light of the new proposed definition of authorized user. It will be interesting to see developments in the coming months, which would ultimately shape the final policy pertaining to the use of the coveted GI logo and tagline.