GI Authorised Users in India Explained

Explainer · Geographical Indications

Updated for 2026 · Claw Editorial

You make a product that carries a famous place name, say a handloom, a spice or a craft, and the GI is already registered. A buyer, a marketplace or a competitor asks if you are allowed to use the tag. The honest answer is that registration of the GI alone does not give you that right. You must be registered as an authorised user. This explainer covers who can apply, the form to use, how the term works, and how to keep the registration alive. Last verified October 2026.

01The problem: a GI is not yours to use by default

A geographical indication tells buyers that goods come from a place and carry a quality or reputation linked to it. In India, GIs are registered under the Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999. Many producers assume that once a GI is registered for their region, they can simply print it on their product. They cannot.

The GI is usually registered in the name of an association, a society or a body that represents the producers. Each individual producer then registers as an authorised user. Without that, using the tag can invite an infringement complaint, a marketplace takedown, or a refusal by an export buyer who asks for proof.

Why this matters in practice

• Buyers ask for proof. Retailers and exporters often want to see your authorised user registration.
• Rights follow registration. The Act gives rights to the registered proprietor and to registered authorised users. An unregistered producer is outside that group.
• Deadlines are easy to miss. The registration has a term, and it can end earlier than you expect. More on this below.

02Who an authorised user is

Section 17 of the Act says that any person claiming to be the producer of the goods in respect of which a GI has been registered may apply in writing to the Registrar, in the prescribed manner, to be registered as an authorised user of that GI.

Three points follow from this wording.

• You must be a producer. The section speaks of a person claiming to be the producer of the goods. A pure trader or reseller is not the target of the provision.
• The GI must already be registered. You cannot become an authorised user of a GI that is only applied for. The registration of the GI comes first, and the registered proprietor is the body that holds it.
• The goods must match. Your product must fall within the goods and the area covered by the registered GI.

Authorised users are listed in the GI register. That public entry is what you show to a buyer or to a court.

03How to register as an authorised user, step by step

The application is made on Form GI-3 under the Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Rules, 2002. The usual path looks like this.

1. Confirm the GI and its proprietor. Search the GI register at IP India. Note the application number, the goods, the area and the name of the registered proprietor.
2. Check you fit the definition. You must produce the goods within the defined area, to the standard the GI describes.
3. Prepare Form GI-3. The form is filed with the GI Registry (Chennai). It asks for your details, the GI concerned and a statement about your production.
4. Attach supporting papers. Proof of where and how you make the goods is normal. The proprietor body or the competent authority for the product often certifies this.
5. File and track. After filing, the Registrar examines the application, may raise objections, and may publish it. Respond to every notice on time.
6. Registration and certificate. On acceptance you are entered on the register as an authorised user.

Fees and the exact filing steps are set in the Rules and on the IP India fee schedule, and they have changed over time. Check the current schedule on the IP India site before filing.

04The one rule to remember: the s.18(2) term

The fact that catches people out is how long the registration lasts. Section 18(2) says:

The registration of an authorised user is for ten years, or until the registration of the GI itself expires, whichever is earlier.

Read that carefully. Ten years is the maximum, not a promise.

A worked example

Say a GI was registered in 2018. Its first term of ten years runs to 2028. You are registered as an authorised user in 2024. Your own ten years would run to 2034, but your registration cannot outlive the GI. So it ends in 2028 unless the GI is renewed. In this case the earlier date wins.

Section 18(1) separately says that registration of the GI itself is for ten years and can be renewed. So your authorised user status depends on two things: your own term, and the health of the GI registration.

05Renewal and what to track

Section 18 also provides for renewal. The Registrar renews, on application in the prescribed manner within the prescribed period and on payment of the prescribed fee, for ten years from the date the earlier registration expired.

Because of the “whichever is earlier” rule, you need to keep two dates in view.

• Your own expiry date. Set a reminder well ahead of it.
• The GI’s expiry date. If the proprietor body does not renew the GI, your registration lapses with it. Stay in touch with the proprietor body and ask whether renewal is in hand.
• Any notice from the Registry. Show-cause and removal notices have response windows.

Late renewal and restoration are possible under the Act, but they cost extra and carry risk. It is simpler to renew on time.

06Common mistakes

• Assuming the GI registration covers you. It covers the registered proprietor and those registered as authorised users.
• Counting ten years from your own date only. Section 18(2) makes the GI expiry a hard stop.
• Ignoring the proprietor body. If it lets the GI lapse, you lose cover too.
• Missing Registry notices. A missed reply can sink an application.
• Using the GI tag on goods outside its scope. The goods and area must match the registration.

If you are stuck on reading a record, the guide on IP India search coverage gaps explains why public search results can look incomplete.

07Where Claw fits

Claw is an all-in-one legaltech platform for Indian advocates, law firms, and corporate legal teams, combining AI-based case search, an AI legal assistant (Legal GPT), case management, and compliance automation across all Indian courts and tribunals.

Authorised user status is a registry matter, but the moment someone misuses the GI the fight moves to court. Claw helps you prepare for that. It tracks cases, orders and hearings across 9,102 courts, benches and forums, searches 30 crore+ judgments in under 5 seconds, and covers Supreme Court judgments from 1950 and High Court judgments from 1990. So you can see how courts have treated GI disputes and follow a live matter by party or advocate name.

Claw does not use customer documents to train AI models. Create a FREE Claw account to research GI disputes and track a live matter by party or advocate name. To search the wider body of law, see case search across Indian courts.

08Sources and further reading

Primary sources used for this page, last verified October 2026:

• The GI Act, 1999 (India Code): indiacode.nic.in
• The GI Act, 1999 (WIPO Lex): wipo.int
• Section 18 text (Indian Kanoon): indiankanoon.org
• IP India (GI Registry, forms and fees): ipindia.gov.in
• Claw: clawlaw.in

This page is general information, not legal advice. Confirm forms, fees and procedure on the current official sources before filing.

09Frequently asked questions