After turmeric and neem, it’s the turn of Khadi. The government is preparing for a trademark battle over the handspun fabric that was made a centerpiece of India’s freedom struggle by Mahatma Gandhi against Germany’s Khadi Naturprodukte.
The government has objected to the German company’s attempt to use the Khadi trademark for selling a range of Indian-origin products, including shampoos, soaps and oils in European markets.
The Khadi & Village Industries Commission (KVIC), an arm of the ministry of micro, small & medium enterprises, has sought cancellation of the trademark given to the company by Office for Harmonization in Internal Markets (headquartered in Belgium), an organisation responsible for trademark and design registration in EU. The Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion has urged KVIC to register the Khadi brand for its range of products in the US and the EU.
The German Company says on its website that “Khadi is a unique brand for the European market and only exclusively available with us.” Products listed on its website include shampoos, soaps and oils which overlap with what KVIC sells under a similar brand, but the current list doesn’t include fabric. Further, the company expresses its intention to add more new products to its online shop.
Government objects to German company Khadi Naturprodukte using khadi trademark for the last few years, KVIC has been trying to establish its footprint overseas and was granted the status of an export promotion council last year. While the Indian government has been successful in warding off bio-piracy threats by nixing attempts by multinationals to patent the uses of turmeric and neem among many others, experts believe this time the task is more challenging as it involves a trademark, is more complex and may prove more difficult to defend.
An application for Geographical Indication on Khadi is also pending in India. This refers to products that are specific to a particular place, such as Scotch whiskey. A few months ago, the Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) Attorneys Association sought a GI tag for Khadi products on behalf of all Indian producers. The application is still pending and if the attempt succeeds, all trademarks granted to Khadi for the fabric would get cancelled.
After facing attempts by foreigners to patent uses of neem and turmeric, India started maintaining a database in the form of a Traditional Knowledge Digital Library. This has allowed it to preempt over 200 bio-piracy attempts globally.
Source:http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/government-objects-to-german-company-khadi-naturprodukte-using-khadi-trademark/articleshow/45029004.cms
