Enjoy Your Meal! Pakistan Adds Geographical Indications To Their IPR Menu

• Published date: 24 June 2020
• Subject Matter: Intellectual Property, Trademark
• Law Firm: Dennemeyer Group
• Author: Mr Shaukat Ali

The Upper House of Parliament passed the much-awaited Geographical Indications (GI) Bill, which was published in Gazette of Pakistan on March 31, 2020. The GI law is a much needed legal and commercial tool to protect the cultural heritage - spanning 5,000 years - of goods produced and manufactured in the country.

Now Pakistan will finally be able to claim and use GIs for goods, and more than hundreds of products are expecting registration. Some famous products of Pakistan are the Hunza apricots, Peshawari Chappal, Multani Sohan Halwa (desserts), Sindhi Ajrak (shawls), Sargodha Kinnows, Kasuri Methi (Fenugreek), Sindh Mangoes, Dhir Knives, Swat Wild Mushrooms, Chaman Grapes, Pashmina Shawls and many more.

The move was necessary to recognize and protect the country's GIs in the interest of the public at large and as part of the more significant reforms of trade and industry aimed at the betterment of the under-developed areas of Pakistan.

It is a maneuver that provides interested parties with the legal means to prevent the use of any designation or presentation of goods that indicates or suggests that the products in question originate from a different geographical area than the protected one. The law is also in line with Article 22 of the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS). At the same time, and following the experience of other countries, the GI regime should help create consumer awareness, protect the national heritage and consolidate culturally significant products, both domestically and abroad.

Any individual, registered company or group of companies, government organization, statutory body, association, group of producers or producer organization, or other operator having an interest in the registration may own a GI. The duration for registration of an authorized user of a GI is valid for an initial period of 10 years, which is renewable for...