Rules 1-2 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.
Rule 1 gives the Rules their name and says when they began to apply. Rule 2 defines the terms used in the rest of the Rules, from "agent" and "form" to "Specification" and "notified date". Every later rule is read through these definitions, so a producer group that misreads one of them can misread the procedure that follows.
The Rules were made on 8 March 2002 (G.S.R. 176(E)) under section 87 of the Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999. They came into force on the date the Act came into force, which is 15 September 2003. Rule 2(1) lists definitions in clauses (a) to (w), and rule 2(2) says how references to sections, rules, Schedules and forms are to be read. Any word not defined in the Rules takes its meaning from the Act.
Rule 1: short title and commencement
Rule 1(1) says the Rules may be called the Geographical Indications Of Goods (Registration and Protection) Rules, 2002. Rule 1(2) says they come into force on the date on which the Act comes into force. The Act itself came into force on 15 September 2003, as explained in our article on section 1 of the GI Act. So the Rules apply from that day, not from the date of notification in March 2002.
The Rules are delegated legislation. The recital that opens them says the Central Government makes them in exercise of the powers conferred by "sub-section 87" of the Act. That is a drafting slip for section 87, the rule-making power, which is covered in our article on sections 86 and 87 of the GI Act. The slip does not change what the Rules do.
Two amending notifications now sit on top of the 2002 text. The Amendment Rules, 2020 (G.S.R. 528(E), 26 August 2020) changed the authorised user provisions, and the Amendment Rules, 2025 (G.S.R. 812(E), 3 November 2025) substituted the whole First Schedule of fees. Neither changes rule 1 or rule 2, but both affect rules you will meet later, and those articles in this series apply them. If you are unsure how a definition applies to your group, a legal consultation can sort that out early.
Rule 2(1): the definitions, clause by clause
Rule 2(1) opens with "In these rules, unless the context otherwise requires". The table below sets out each clause in plain words and shows where it matters later.
| Clause | Term | What the Rules say it means | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|---|
| (a) | Act | The Geographical Indications Of Goods (Registration & Protection) Act, 1999 | Fixes which statute every "section" reference points to |
| (b) | agent | A person authorised under section 76 | Links to rule 20 and Form GI-10 |
| (c) | application for registration of a geographical indication | Includes the geographical indication for goods contained in it | The indication and the application are treated together |
| (d) | appropriate office | The relevant office of the Registry as specified in rule 4 | Decides where papers are filed |
| (e) | business | Includes trading, dealing, production exploitation, making or manufacturing of the goods to which the indication relates | Feeds the "principal place of business" test in rule 3 |
| (f) | class fee | The fee prescribed under entry number 1 of the First Schedule | Extra class means extra fee |
| (g) | Convention Country | A country notified under section 84(1) | Relevant to rule 24 |
| (h) | Convention Application | An application made by virtue of section 84 | Same |
| (i) | divisional application | A divided application made by dividing a single initial application for different classes of goods | See rule 82 |
| (j) | divisional fee | The fee so prescribed under the First Schedule | Entry 1 series and entry 5E |
| (k) | form | A form set forth in the Second or the Third Schedule | Rule 11 requires these forms |
| (l) | graphical representation | The representation of a geographical indication for goods in paper form | Rules 26 to 28 |
| (m) | journal | The Geographical Indications Journal | Where advertisements and notifications appear |
| (n) | notified date | The date on which the rules come into force | Sets which applications fall under rules 4 to 6 |
| (o) | opposition | Includes opposition to registration of a geographical indication or of an authorised user | Same machinery for both |
| (p) | principal place of business in India | The relevant place in India specified in rule 3 | Decides the appropriate office |
| (q) | publish | Publish in the Geographical Indications Journal | Publication elsewhere does not count |
| (r) | registered geographical indications agent | An agent whose name is actually on the Register of Geographical Indications Agent maintained under rule 102 | Being named on the Register is the test |
| (s) | renewal | Renewal of a geographical indication by the registered proprietor or of the authorised user | Rule 60 |
| (t) | Schedule | A Schedule to the Rules | Five Schedules |
| (u) | section | A section of the Act | Cross-references |
| (v) | Specification | The designation of goods in respect of which a geographical indication is registered or proposed to be registered | The goods description |
| (w) | other words | Words used but not defined in the Rules and defined in the Act have the meaning in the Act | Borrowing from the Act |
Points that need a closer look
"Notified date" and the date of commencement. Clause (n) defines the notified date as the date on which the rules come into force, which rule 1(2) ties to the Act. Rules 4 to 6 apply to geographical indications for which an application is made on or after the notified date. For the practical result see our article on the appropriate office of the GI Registry.
"Form" means only forms in the Second or Third Schedule. Clause (k) speaks of "either the Second or the Third Schedule". The Second Schedule lists Forms GI-1 to GI-10 and the Third Schedule carries the Registrar's forms O-1 to O-5. That wording leaves out the form that the 2020 amendment now shows as Form GI 3A and GI 3B, but those two forms replace Form GI-3 in the same Second Schedule list, so they are forms for the purpose of the Rules. This is a point of drafting to keep in mind rather than a practical obstacle.
"Class fee" and "divisional fee". Clause (f) points to entry number 1 of the First Schedule and clause (j) to the divisional fee in the First Schedule. The amounts are not in the definitions. Since 3 November 2025 they are found in the First Schedule as substituted in November 2025, which our article on rule 10 and the mode of fee payment explains in outline.
"Graphical representation". The Rules define it only as the representation of the indication "in paper form". The detail of what the representation must show is in rules 26 to 28, not here.
"Registered geographical indications agent". Clause (r) refers to the register maintained under rule 102. A person who merely practises as an adviser, but whose name is not on that register, is not a registered geographical indications agent under the Rules.
"Opposition". Clause (o) makes clear that opposition covers both an opposition to registration of a geographical indication and an opposition to an authorised user. The same word therefore runs through the opposition rules for both kinds of applicant.
Rule 2(2): how references are read
Rule 2(2) says that, except as otherwise indicated, a reference to a section is a reference to that section in the Act, a reference to a rule is a reference to that rule in these Rules, a reference to a Schedule is a reference to a Schedule to these Rules, and a reference to a form is a reference to a form mentioned in the Second or Third Schedule. When you meet "section 11" in the Rules, it is section 11 of the Act, which our article on section 11 of the GI Act covers, not a section of any other law.
A worked example
A weavers' society in a hill district intends to apply for registration of the name of its shawl. Reading the definitions together:
- The society is an association of persons or producers. Its indication and the goods it designates make up the "application for registration" under clause (c).
- Its "business" under clause (e) includes the making of the shawls.
- If the shawls are made in one village, that is its principal place of business under rule 3, and clause (p) points there. The appropriate office under clause (d) follows from rule 4.
- If the society wants to cover shawls and a second class of goods, it must read "class fee" in clause (f) and the divisional application provisions in clause (i).
- The papers must be on forms from the Second Schedule (clause (k)) and any advertisement will appear in the Journal (clauses (m) and (q)).
All names and facts in this example are invented for illustration.
Need help with reading the GI Rules for your application?
If you are preparing a GI filing and want a second pair of eyes on how these definitions apply to your group, our team can walk through them with you. You can start with a legal consultation to map your facts to the Rules, and then plan the filing steps.
That conversation is most useful before the application is lodged, when a wrong reading of a definition is still cheap to correct.
Key takeaways
- The Rules came into force with the Act on 15 September 2003 under rule 1(2).
- Rule 2(1) has definitions in clauses (a) to (w); rule 2(2) explains how references to sections, rules, Schedules and forms are read.
- "Notified date", "class fee", "divisional fee", "form" and "registered geographical indications agent" each point to another rule or Schedule, so read them together.
- Words not defined in the Rules take their meaning from the Act.
- Later amendment rules should be checked before you rely on this text; this article covers the position up to the Amendment Rules of 3 November 2025.
Read next
- Rules 3-6: principal place of business and the appropriate office of the GI Registry
- Rule 10: fees and mode of payment
- Section 2 of the GI Act: definitions of geographical indication, goods and producer
- Introduction to the Geographical Indications Act, 1999
Disclaimer: Based on the Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Rules, 2002 as notified on 8 March 2002 and as amended by the Amendment Rules of 2020 (G.S.R. 528(E)) and 2025 (G.S.R. 812(E)), as consulted on 2 October 2026. Later amendment rules, forms and fees should be checked in their current form. This article is general information, not legal advice; check the official text before acting.