Manual of explained: this guide covers what it means, who it applies to, the step-by-step process, documents required, fees, due dates and penalties in India — so you can stay compliant with confidence and avoid costly mistakes.
Three documents of the Geographical Indications Registry sit on most applicants' desks: the Manual of Geographical Indications Practice and Procedure of 2011, the draft Guidelines for the Use of GI and the GI Logo of October 2025, and the draft Guidelines for Filing a GI Application of September 2026. Each explains how the Registry and producers are expected to work, but none of them is a statute or a rule.
This guide sets out what each document is, how much weight it carries, and which of its parts you can still rely on when you prepare an application, answer an objection or print a label.
The Manual (Version 01.11, 26 July 2011) is the GI Registry's guidance and does not have the force of law; the Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999 and the Rules of 2002 as now in force prevail. The two later documents are drafts published for comments: they are not final and not law. Use the Manual for how the Registry has worked, the drafts for the direction of travel, and the Act and Rules (with the amendments of 2020 and 2025) for what binds you. The current position should be checked on ipindia.gov.in.
The status of each document
The Manual (Version 01.11, 26 July 2011) is the GI Registry's guidance and does not have the force of law; the Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999 and the Rules of 2002 as now in force prevail. The current position should be checked on ipindia.gov.in.
The Manual's own preface says it is a practical guide for effective prosecution of GI applications and, in the Registrar's words, "does not constitute rule making and hence, does not have the force and effect of law" (Preface). It adds that it will be revised from time to time for court interpretations, statutory amendments and stakeholder inputs. The version in circulation is that of 2011, so every later amendment sits outside it.
The September 2026 filing guidelines are headed "Version 1.0" but are a draft published for comments. The October 2025 logo guidelines carry the word "draft" in their title. A draft can change in wording, order or substance before anything is finalised, and until then the Act and the Rules govern. For the full statutory route, start with our guide on the GI registration process, or see our geographical indication registration service page.
What each document covers
| Document | Date | Status | What it covers | Read with |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manual of Geographical Indications Practice and Procedure, Version 01.11 | 26 July 2011 | Registry guidance; no force of law; partly overtaken | Fifteen chapters from definitions and filing to examination, opposition, registration, rectification, renewal and Registry administration | Section and rule posts named in each chapter guide below |
| Draft Guidelines for Filing a GI Application | September 2026 (Version 1.0) | Draft for comments; not law | Step-by-step preparation for producer bodies: product, name, specification, area, proof, method, inspection body, documents, online filing and the stages inside the Registry | Rule 32 on the content of the application |
| Draft Guidelines for the Use of GI and the GI Logo | October 2025 | Draft for comments; not law | Who may use a registered name and the logo, the conditions, display, exceptions, disclaimer and a compliance checklist | Rules 56 to 58 on authorised users |
What the Manual's introduction says
Chapter 1 of the Manual is background. It traces how places known for wine, silk, cotton and spices came to be protected, mentions the early appellation systems of Europe, and separates three ideas: an indication of source (a bare statement such as the country of origin), an appellation of origin (quality due to the geographical environment including natural and human factors), and a geographical indication, which takes in both. It anchors the Indian definition in the TRIPS Agreement, Article 22.1.
It then states the three-fold object of the 1999 Act in its own words: a specific law to protect producers, protection against misuse by unauthorised persons and deception of consumers, and promotion of goods bearing Indian indications in export markets. For a practising reader the useful lesson is that registration is a collective right: the Act speaks of producers and their associations, not of an individual brand owner.
Which parts of the Manual have been overtaken
The Manual predates three changes. Treat these as the places where its wording must not be applied as printed.
- Authorised users. The Manual describes an older procedure in which the authorised-user application was tied to the main application. The Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Amendment Rules, 2020 substituted rule 56 and introduced separate forms for authorised users. See rules 56 to 58 and our note on the authorised user's rights.
- Fees. The 2025 Amendment Rules substituted the First Schedule. No amount in the Manual, or in either draft, is a safe figure: the head of fee and the amount are in the First Schedule.
- Appeals, the Board and offences. The Manual refers to the Appellate Board, which the Tribunals Reforms Act, 2021 abolished; appeals now go to the High Court. Its chapter on offences was written before the Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Act, 2023, which changed the penalty provisions. The Act and Rules as now in force prevail in each case.
Filing methods have also moved on: the Manual speaks of paper filing and post, while online filing is now the route, so check the rules on forms and electronic filing before relying on any paper-era step.
How to use the three documents together
Use the Act and Rules for the rule, the Manual for the Registry's habits in handling a file, and the drafts for how the Registry's thinking may develop. The procedural chapters of the Manual that remain useful are the ones that describe how an examiner reads a file: the contents of the statement of case, the preliminary check, the examination report and the way an opposition is processed. We have already covered three of these in separate guides: how to draft the statement of case, the documents checklist and preliminary examination and the time limits at every stage.
The rest of this series takes each remaining chapter in turn. Start with who may apply, the Registry's jurisdiction and the types of application, then substantive examination. For the drafts, see the draft filing guidelines on who can apply and the draft logo guidelines.
A worked example
Take an invented society, the Kaveripur Handloom Weavers' Society, which wants protection for "Kaveripur Ikat". A consultant hands it the 2011 Manual and says the Registry will do everything in it.
The society does three things. First, it reads the Manual for how the Registry treats applicants: it must be a legal entity that represents producers, so it gathers its registration certificate and bye-laws. Second, it does not copy the Manual's authorised-user steps; it checks rules 56 to 58 for the present route and forms. Third, it reads the September 2026 draft only as a preparation aid, collecting a map, proof of origin and a quality-control plan, but it files on the forms and in the manner the Rules now prescribe, not as the draft suggests. Nothing in any of the three documents changes the statutory test that the quality, reputation or characteristic of Kaveripur Ikat must be essentially attributable to its geographical origin.
Common lapses
- Quoting the Manual in a reply to the Registry as if it were a rule.
- Taking a fee, form or time limit from the Manual or a draft instead of the Rules as amended.
- Treating a draft as the Registry's settled practice.
- Following the Manual's authorised-user chapter, which the 2020 Rules overtook.
- Forgetting that appeals no longer lie to the Appellate Board.
Need help with a GI application?
If your producer body is deciding how to prepare an application or reply to the Registry, our team can map the Act, the Rules and the documents above to your file. See our geographical indication registration service to get started.
Key takeaways
- The 2011 Manual is guidance, not law; the Act and Rules as now in force prevail.
- The 2025 and 2026 documents are drafts for comments and can change.
- Authorised-user procedure, fees, the appellate forum and the penalty provisions have all moved since 2011.
- Use the Manual for the Registry's way of reading a file, and the Rules for forms, periods and fees.
- Check ipindia.gov.in for the current position before acting.
Read next
- Who may apply, the Registry's jurisdiction and the types of application (Manual, Chapter 3)
- Substantive examination, the Examination Report and advertisement (Manual, Chapter 4)
- Draft filing guidelines 2026: who can apply and identifying the product
- Draft logo guidelines 2025: who may use a registered GI and the logo
Disclaimer: Based on the documents of the Geographical Indications Registry named in the article (the Manual of Geographical Indications Practice and Procedure, Version 01.11 of 26 July 2011, and the draft guidelines published for comments in October 2025 and September 2026), as consulted on 4 October 2026. A draft is not final; none of these documents has the force of law; the Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999 and the Rules of 2002 as now in force prevail and the current position should be checked on ipindia.gov.in. This article is general information, not legal advice; check the official text before acting.