The seminar on GI in Siliguri. (Kundan Yolmo)

Siliguri, Sept. 5: The Tea Board of India is currently fighting 15 cases in about 10 countries over the violation of certified trademark (CTM) and geographical indication (GI) rules with respect to Darjeeling Tea. The product and the logo were registered as a trademark in 1998 and the GI application was filed in 2003.

“The rulings of some cases have gone against us, mainly because different courts interpret the parameters differently,” said Anindita Ray, the Board’s director of tea promotion.

However, there have been judgments in favour of the Tea Board as well. “A French company, Dusong, used the word ‘Darjeeling’ and had the logo of a teapot on the special stationery marketed by it. The Court of Appeals in Paris ruled in our favour,” the director said.

A company called Delta, also in France, used “Darjeeling” to label its lingerie. Its shops had tealeaves on their entrances as well. “We have filed six cases against them,” Ray added.

The official was speaking at a road show on enforcement of GIs in India organised by the US Patent and Trademark Office in collaboration with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII). Siliguri was the second stop after Guwahati.

The purpose of the road show is to create awareness on GI as a form of intellectual property rights in handcrafts, medicinal plants, traditional knowledge and healthcare and natural products which are open to imitation,” said M.S. Venugopal, executive member of the central government’s GI consultative group.

Other than Darjeeling Tea, Pochampally sarees, Alphonso mangoes and Calcutta rosogollas have also been given GI status.

GI registration brings about tangible benefits to the product and its producers, said Dominic Keating, the first secretary for intellectual property in the US embassy, New Delhi.