India, Pakistan for common IPR of Basmati

[firewall]

Text

Islamabad - India and Pakistan are likely to get a common trademark for Basmati rice as they agreed to jointly file a case to claim Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) over it worldwide.

India has formed a ?Joint Study Group? for consultations with Pakistan on the joint registration of Basmati as a geographical indication, following detailed discussions between the commerce secretaries of both countries here in March.

The issue had been under active consideration by the All India Rice Exporters Association (AIREA) and the Rice Exporters Association of Pakistan (REAP) as well as by the two governments.

AIREA had recently written to REAP seeking a joint meeting of Pakistani and Indian rice exporters.

Brigadier Anil Adlakha, executive director of AIREA, proposed that trade between both countries should be increased in this direction. He also called for an early meeting at Amritsar or Lahore.

According to him, the delegations could comprise of three-four representatives each from REAP and AIREA, a representative each from the two governments, legal advisors handling the case and any others deemed fit to be included.

Personally, I think this is a good step as far as the relations between the two countries and the international trade is concerned. There have been complaints about it from both sides about claiming the IPR and a joint IPR is the best possible solution. I certainly wouldn't mind if Bangladesh is included in this too since all three countries rely heavily on agriculture and rice is a major crop for them.