Rules 111 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.
Rules 111 to 113 deal with the other end of an agent's career. Rule 111 lists when the Registrar removes an agent's name. Rule 112 lets him refuse to recognise certain persons as agents. Rule 113 allows restoration of a removed name within six months in one situation.
The Registrar shall remove an agent on his request, for non-payment of the annual fee three months after it fell due, on a disability in rule 105(i) to (vi), after a declaration of unfitness or error following a show-cause notice, and on death. Removal is notified in the Official Gazette and the Journal. The Registrar may refuse to recognise removed persons, unregistered agents mainly engaged in acting as agent, and certain companies and firms, and shall refuse anyone neither resident nor carrying on business in India. A name removed for unpaid fee may be restored within six months on Form GI-8.
How these rules fit
Rules 102 to 110 cover the register, the qualifications, the application and the continuance fee; see our articles on rules 102 and 103, rules 104 and 105 and rules 106 to 110. Rules 114 to 116 deal with alteration, publication and appeal; see our article on rules 114 to 116. The Act's section on agents is in our article on sections 74 to 76 of the GI Act.
Agents who face a removal notice, and clients worried about their agent's status, often seek legal consultation on the next step.
Rule 111(1): removal on request or for default
The Registrar "shall remove" the name of any registered agent:
- (a) from whom a request to that effect has been received; or
- (b) from whom the annual fee has not been received on the expiry of three months from the date on which it became due.
Removal under (b) is automatic by the words of the rule: "shall remove". The annual fee is the continuance fee under rule 110 and entry 8C; see our article on rules 106 to 110.
Rule 111(2): removal for disability, unfitness or error
The Registrar "shall remove" the name of any registered agent:
- (a) who is found to have been subject at the time of registration, or thereafter has become subject, to any of the disabilities in clauses (i) to (vi) of rule 105;
- (b) whom the Registrar has declared not to be a fit and proper person to remain on the register by reason of any act of negligence, misconduct or dishonesty committed in his professional capacity; or
- (c) whose name was entered by an error or on account of misrepresentation or suppression of material fact.
The proviso: "before making such declaration under clause (b) and (c) the Registrar shall call upon the person concerned to show cause why his registration should not be cancelled and shall make such further enquiry, if any, as it may consider necessary."
So for clauses (b) and (c), a show-cause notice and any further enquiry come first. Clause (a) has no show-cause step in the proviso. Clause (vii) of rule 105 (an agent held guilty of professional misconduct by the Registrar) is not within the cross-reference in 111(2)(a), which stops at clause (vi). The Rules do not say how long the person has to answer the show-cause notice. The text is silent on the period.
Rule 111(3) and (4): death and notification
Rule 111(3): the Registrar "shall remove" the name of a registered agent who is dead. Rule 111(4): "The removal of the name of any person from the Register of Geographical Indications Agents shall be notified in the Official Gazette and in the Journal and shall, wherever possible, be communicated to the person concerned."
| Ground | Sub-rule | Show-cause first? |
|---|---|---|
| Request by the agent | 111(1)(a) | No |
| Annual fee not received three months after due | 111(1)(b) | No |
| Disability under rule 105(i) to (vi) | 111(2)(a) | Not stated |
| Declared not fit and proper | 111(2)(b) | Yes (proviso) |
| Entry by error or misrepresentation | 111(2)(c) | Yes (proviso) |
| Death | 111(3) | No |
Rule 112: power to refuse to deal with certain agents
Rule 112(1): the Registrar "may refuse to recognise":
- (a) any individual whose name has been removed from, and not restored to, the Register;
- (b) any person, not registered as a Geographical Indications Agent, who in the opinion of the Registrar is engaged wholly or mainly in acting as agent in applying for geographical indications in India or elsewhere in the name or for the benefit of the person by whom he is employed;
- (c) any company or firm, if any person whom the Registrar could refuse to recognise as agent in respect of any business under these rules is acting as a director or manager of the company or is a partner in the firm.
Rule 112(2): "The Registrar shall also refuse to recognise as agent in respect of any business under this rule any person who neither resides nor has a place of business in India."
The difference in verbs matters. Under 112(1) the refusal is discretionary ("may"). Under 112(2) it is mandatory ("shall"). Clause (c) means a company or firm can be refused recognition because of who its directors, managers or partners are. A producers' association appointing a firm to act for it should check this.
Rule 113: restoration
"The Registrar may, on an application made on Form GI-8 within six months from the date of removal of his name from the Register of Geographical Indications Agent accompanied by the fee specified in the First Schedule from a person whose name has been removed under clause (b) of sub-rule (1) of rule 111, restore his name to the Register of Geographical Indications Agent and continue his name therein for a period of one year from the date on which his last annual fee became due."
Features:
- Who: only a person removed under rule 111(1)(b), for non-payment of the annual fee.
- When: within six months from the date of removal.
- Form: Form GI-8 (Part D, "application for the restoration of the name of a person to the Register of Geographical Indications Agent (Rule 113)", to be filed in triplicate).
- Effect: the Registrar "may" restore, and continues the name "for a period of one year from the date on which his last annual fee became due".
The fee is entry 8D of the First Schedule as substituted in November 2025: "on application for restoration of the name of a person to the Register of Geographical Indications under rule 113", Form GI-8, Rs. 1,000 plus the continuance fee under entry 8C.
A drafting slip: the printed Form GI-8 Part D says the name "was removed ... under rule 113", where the removal rule is rule 111. A person removed on a request, a disability, unfitness or error, or death, is outside rule 113 as printed. The rule does not provide for restoration in those cases. The text is silent on whether other routes exist.
Who is affected
- Registered agents, who must pay on time and avoid the disabilities in rule 105.
- Clients, who should check that their agent is on the register and not one the Registrar refuses to recognise.
- Firms and companies offering GI services, whose directors, managers and partners affect recognition under rule 112(1)(c).
An example
Rohini Pandey, a registered agent, forgets the annual fee due on 1 April. By 1 July (three months after it was due) the fee has not been received. The Registrar removes her name under rule 111(1)(b), notifies the removal in the Gazette and the Journal, and tries to tell her. Within six months of removal she applies on Form GI-8 Part D, pays the entry 8D amount (Rs. 1,000 plus the continuance fee), and the Registrar restores her name and continues it for one year from the date her last annual fee became due. Had the Registrar removed her instead for being declared unfit for misconduct, he would first have issued a show-cause notice, and rule 113 would not have been available.
What the rules do not say
- No time is set for a response to a show-cause notice.
- No criteria are given for refusing or granting restoration under rule 113.
- The rules do not say whether acts done by an agent before removal remain valid.
Amendments made after November 2025 should be checked before acting.
Need help with an agent's removal or restoration?
If an agent's name has been removed, the six-month window under rule 113 is short. Our legal consultation team can check the ground of removal, prepare the Form GI-8 Part D and respond to any show-cause notice.
Key takeaways
- Removal is mandatory on request, on non-payment of the annual fee three months after it is due, on disabilities in rule 105(i) to (vi), after a show-cause finding of unfitness or error, and on death.
- Removal is notified in the Official Gazette and the Journal.
- The Registrar may refuse to recognise removed persons, certain unregistered agents and certain companies or firms; he shall refuse persons neither resident nor in business in India.
- Restoration under rule 113 is only for removal under rule 111(1)(b), within six months, on Form GI-8.
- Entry 8D is Rs. 1,000 plus the entry 8C continuance fee, as per the First Schedule as substituted in November 2025.
- Appeals are covered in rule 116; see the next article for the caution on the Appellate Board.
Read next
- Rules 114 to 116: alteration and publication of the agents' register, and appeal
- Rules 106 to 110: GI agent application, examination, certificate and continuance
- Rules 104 and 105: qualifications and persons debarred
- Sections 74 to 76 of the GI Act: address for service, trade usages and agents
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.