Plea seeks GI tag for Arunachal Apatani textile product

• An application seeking a Geographical Indication (GI) tag for the Arunachal Pradesh Apatani textile product has been filed by Zeet Zeero Producer Company Limited.

About Apatani Textile Product

• The Apatani weave comes from the Apatani tribe of Arunachal Pradesh living at Ziro, the headquarters of Lower Subansiri district.
• The woven fabric of this tribe is known for its geometric and zigzag patterns and also for its angular designs.
• The Apatani community weaves its own textiles for various occasions, including rituals and cultural festivals.
• The tribe predominantly weaves shawls known as jig-Jiro and jilan or jackets called supuntarii.
• The traditional handloom of this tribe is a type of loin loom, which is called Chichin and is similar to the traditional handloom of the Nyishi tribe. It is portable, easy to install and operated by a single weaver, especially the female member of the community.

Geographical Indication (GI) Certification

• GI is an indication used to identify goods having special characteristics originating from a definite geographical territory.
• It is used for agricultural, natural and manufactured goods.
• In India, Geographical Indications registration is administered by the Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act of 1999.
• It is also a part of the World Trade Organisation’s Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS).
• The Controller General of Patents, Designs and TradeMarks is the Registrar of Geographical Indications.
• The registration of a geographical indication is valid for a period of 10 years.
• It can be renewed from time to time for a further period of 10 years each.