Chapter 4: Geographical Indication (GI) Status and Legal Protection

Kasuti embroidery holds a Geographical Indication (GI) tag in India, a form of intellectual property protection that legally ties a product's name to its region of origin and traditional method of production, preventing products made elsewhere from being marketed under the same name.

Who Holds the GI

The GI registration is held by the Karnataka State Handicrafts Development Corporation, generally abbreviated KHDC or KSHDC in different sources. This body applied for and holds the intellectual property rights associated with the Kasuti GI tag on behalf of the craft and its practitioners.

When It Was Registered

Sources give slightly different dates for this milestone. Some describe the GI tag as having been granted in 2006; a more detailed account states that the application was approved in 2005 by the Geographical Indications Registry under the Government of India's Intellectual Property India office, with the certificate formally issued on 30 January 2006. Both figures likely describe the same registration process viewed from different points (application/approval versus certificate issue), and this book presents both rather than asserting false precision.

What the GI Tag Protects

The GI tag protects Kasuti's regional identity — its association with the Dharwad–Belgaum–Hubballi–Bijapur belt of north Karnataka — and helps prevent unauthorised use of the Kasuti name for embroidery, especially machine-made or printed imitation embroidery, produced outside this tradition and region. In practice, GI status also functions as a marketing and authentication tool: buyers who understand what the tag signifies can use it to check the source and authenticity of what they are purchasing (see Chapter 16, Identifying Authentic Kasuti).

Note for designers and buyers: a GI tag protects a name and region of origin, not a specific company's exclusive commercial rights to sell the product — it does not by itself certify that any individual seller's item is handmade, or made by a particular artisan. Always verify authenticity through the physical characteristics described in Chapter 16 as well.

🖼️ IMAGE PLACEHOLDER — GI-CERT-01 Type: Photograph/scan (official document) Content: A photograph or scan of the official GI registration certificate or GI Journal entry for Kasuti, sourced from the Geographical Indications Registry (Government of India) or KHDC/KSHDC public records. Suggested size: 1000 × 1400 px (portrait, document ratio) Format: JPG or PNG Caption: "Kasuti's Geographical Indication registration, held by the Karnataka State Handicrafts Development Corporation." Alt text: "Official Geographical Indication registration certificate for Kasuti embroidery." Sourcing note: Obtain from the public GI Journal archive (ipindia.gov.in) or directly from KHDC; do not reproduce without checking current licensing status of the specific document scan.