The Protection of Geographical Indications in Pakistan: Implementation of the TRIPS Agreement

Geographical indications ( GI s) have assumed greater importance in terms of juridical development and economic diplomacy with their inclusion in T rade‐ R elated I ntellectual P roperty A greement ( TRIPS ) of W orld T rade O rganization ( WTO ). Its importance for older economies and countries with strong agricultural base has become manifold. In this paper, I have analysed the implementation of GI provisions of TRIPS A greement in P akistan where agriculture is a major chunk of its Gross Domestic Product ( GDP ). Although there are hundreds of GI s in P akistan, like I ndia, yet paradoxically there is not a single registration of GI s under the prevailing legal setup. Hence inadequacies are examined, which hamper the development of GI s legal regime in P akistan. Comparative examples have been taken with regard to the development of the S ui G eneris L aw of GI s in I ndia and GI R egulations of E uropean U nion ( EU ). I have also analysed the potential of GI s in P akistan and the economic aspect of GI s with respect to its correlation with development. At the end, I have discussed the challenges, the role of the S tate and way forward.