Geographical Indications and Their Role in Rural Development: A Comparative Legal Analysis of India and the EU's IPR Framework

This paper aims at discussing the significance of Geographical Indications as part of Intellectual Property Rights with particular focus on aspects of developments in rural area and culture of India and EU. GIs safeguard products associated with certain geographical locations and provide several efficiencies through product valorisation and preserving traditional knowledge. The legal protection of GIs remains well developed in the EU benefits rural economies of the place of origin of quality-enhanced foods such as Champagne and Feta. India, despite having valuable cultural gateways currently constituted by GIs such as Darjeeling Tea and Kanjeevaram Silk, protests about awareness, marketing, and enforcement. The article is focused on examining the performances of the Indian and the EU legal systems in organising rural growth and development. It moreover assess the possibility of India to enhance their GI system and therefore look at the EU system. To optimise the opportunities GIs hold for both economic and cultural benefit, both jurisdictions must overcome these hurdles