As the “Kutchi shawl” receives a Geographical Indication along the lines of “Kancheepuram Silk” and “Darjeeling Tea”, similar applications for the “Patan Patola” and “Jamnagar Bandhani” have also been filed on behalf of weavers’ associations over the last few months.
Applications for “Surendranagar Ikat”, “Mashru fabrics of Mandvi and Patan” and “Khambat Gharchola” are also likely to be filed shortly. Documentation for the same is being finalised and weavers and craftspeople have more or less been organised.
A Geographical Indication, or GI, is a community patent recognised by the World Trade Organization that assures artisans, weavers and craftsmen Intellectual Property Rights over their produce.
Communities can claim compensation if their trademark is infringed upon or duplicated, and the offender is liable to a non-bailable three-year prison term. At the same time, it allows them to have a logo, which in turn makes it easier for them to market their products.
Five crafts from Gujarat — Sankheda Furniture, Agates of Cambay, Kutch Embroidery, Tangaliya Shawl and Kutchi Shawl — currently have GIs.
“A GI application for the ‘Patan Patola’ was submitted in February this year and an application for the ‘Jamnagar Bandhani’ was filed towards the end of last year. Garvi Gurjari sponsored the ‘Patan Patola’ application while the Jamnagar Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI) sponsored the ‘Jamnagar Bandhani’ application,” said R M Sankar, principal scientific officer at the Ahmedabad Textile Industry’s Research Association (ATIRA).
Garvi Gurjari, a government-owned outlet, is interchangeably used to denote the Gujarat State Handloom and Handicrafts Development Corporation Limited (GSHHDC), its parent company and a state undertaking.
No comments:
Post a Comment