Rule 60 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 60 governs how a registration is renewed: the form (Form GI-4 for the indication, Form GI 3B for an authorised user), the window of not more than six months before expiry, who may file, how continuity of title is shown, how a proprietor that no longer exists is replaced by its authorised users, and the Registrar's power to ask for an affidavit of use.
Renewal is applied for on Form GI-4 (the indication) or Form GI 3B (an authorised user), at any time not more than six months before the last registration expires. The proprietor files, failing which any authorised user on record may. If the proprietor has ceased to exist, authorised users entered in Part B on the due date act collectively. Before issuing a renewal certificate the Registrar may call for an affidavit about use of the indication in India. The fees are entry 4A (Rs. 500) and entry 3B (Rs. 10), as per the First Schedule as substituted in November 2025.
Rule 60(1): form, window and fee
Rule 60(1) says an application for renewal of the registration of a geographical indication or an authorised user "shall be made on Form GI-4 or Form GI-3 as the case may be and may be made at any time not more than six months before the expiration of the last registration".
Three things to note.
- Forms. Form GI-4 Part A is "Renewal of registration of geographical indication". For an authorised user, the 2020 Amendment Rules substituted Form GI-3 with Form GI 3A (application) and Form GI 3B ("Application for Renewal of Registration of an Authorized User", section 18(2), rule 60(1)). Rule 60(1) still says "Form GI-3", which was not amended; read it as Form GI 3B. The heading of Part A of Form GI-4 refers to "Rule 61", where rule 60 is meant; both are printing slips.
- Window. The words are "not more than six months before the expiration". The rule states no lower limit, but the later rules on removal run from expiry, so filing early inside the window is the safer course, ideally with the help of a GI registration adviser who keeps your renewal calendar.
- Fee. Renewal of the indication: entry 4A, "For renewal under section 18(1) of the registration of a geographical indication at the expiration of the last registration", Rs. 500, Form GI-4. Renewal of an authorised user: entry 3B, Rs. 10, Form GI-3, as per the First Schedule as substituted in November 2025. Form GI 3B prints "Fee: Rs. 10 ", which agrees. The fee amounts printed in the 2002 text of Form GI-4 are out of date and should not be used.
The Act-level provisions are in section 18 and section 19, explained in our articles on section 18 of the GI Act and on section 19 of the GI Act. Form O-2, the certificate of registration, states a term of ten years from the date of registration, renewable for periods of ten years; see our article on the certificate. Our overview of the ten year term and renewal gives context only.
Rule 60(2): who files
"Such application for renewal must be filed by the person who is the proprietor of the registered geographical indication failing which by any of the authorised users on record, as the case may be." The primary duty is the proprietor's. Only if the proprietor does not file can any authorised user on record file. An authorised user whose renewal is the point of the Form GI 3B application is renewing its own registration as user, which rule 60(1) covers.
This matters for cooperatives and producer bodies that hold a registration on behalf of many producers. An authorised user can protect the registration, but the rule puts the proprietor first. If you are an authorised user relying on a proprietor body, ask it well in advance whether it will renew. The rights of authorised users in the Act are summarised in our article on authorised user rights.
Rule 60(3): continuity of title
"If the proprietor, as set forth in the application for renewal is not the same person or the same legal entity as the registrant shown in the registration, continuity of title from the registrant to the present owner must be shown in the first instance." A merger, conversion or succession should be documented with the application.
Rule 60(4): trustees, executors and the like
"The Registrar may accept an application for renewal from the managing trustee, executors, administrators and the like, when supported by court order or other evidence of such persons authority to act on behalf of the present proprietor." The Registrar "may" accept; he requires evidence of authority.
Rule 60(5): where the proprietor has ceased to exist
"For the removal of doubt, it is clarified that where the registered proprietor of the geographical indication has ceased to exist, the renewal of the registered geographical indication shall be effected by any of the authorised users of the registered geographical indication acting collectively whose name has been entered in Part B of the register on the due date of renewal."
The phrase "acting collectively" is the key: it is not one authorised user alone, but the authorised users acting together. Their names must be in Part B on the due date. A GI whose proprietary society was dissolved can be kept alive in this way. Our article on authorised user registration and entry in Part B explains how those names get into Part B.
Rule 60(6): affidavit of use
"Before issuing a renewal certificate, the Registrar may call upon the registered proprietor to file an affidavit concerning the use of the registered geographical indication in India where he has reasons to believe that the registered geographical indication may not be in use in the market." The condition is the Registrar's reason to believe that the indication may not be in use. Keep records of current use, such as sales, labelling and the producers using the name. The affidavit follows the form rules in our article on the form of affidavits.
| Sub-rule | Subject | Key point |
|---|---|---|
| (1) | Form, window, fee | Form GI-4 or GI 3B; not more than six months before expiry; entry 4A: Rs. 500; entry 3B: Rs. 10 |
| (2) | Who files | The proprietor, failing which any authorised user on record |
| (3) | Continuity of title | Show title from the registrant to the present owner |
| (4) | Representatives | Managing trustee, executors, administrators, with evidence of authority |
| (5) | Proprietor ceased to exist | Authorised users in Part B on the due date, acting collectively |
| (6) | Affidavit of use | May be called for before the renewal certificate if non-use is suspected |
The GI Registry's Manual of Practice and Procedure (2011), which is guidance without the force of law and older than the 2020 and 2025 amendments, mentions the six month window and the notices before removal. Use it only as background; the Rules govern, and the manual's fee amounts must not be relied on.
What happens if you miss the window
Rule 60 does not itself say what happens if no renewal is filed. The later rules deal with it: notice before removal in rule 61, removal and the six-month surcharge route in rule 62 (entry 4C), and restoration under rule 63 (entry 4B). See our articles on notice before removal and on removal, restoration and renewal.
A worked example
Kutch Embroidery Artisans' Society, an invented proprietor, holds a registration expiring on 30 September 2027. From 30 March 2027 onwards it may apply for renewal on Form GI-4 with the entry 4A fee. An authorised user, Banni Craft Collective, wants its own registration renewed and files Form GI 3B with the entry 3B fee within the same six-month window. If the society were wound up before the due date, the authorised users on Part B on the due date could renew the indication acting collectively. Before issuing the certificate the Registrar, doubting current use, may ask the society for an affidavit of use in India. All names are invented.
Need help with renewal?
A lapsed registration is expensive to restore and can expose the name to challenge. We help proprietors and authorised users plan renewal dates, papers and affidavits of use; see our GI registration service to put your renewal calendar in order.
Key takeaways
- Renew on Form GI-4 (indication) or Form GI 3B (authorised user), at any time not more than six months before expiry (rule 60(1)).
- Fees: entry 4A, Rs. 500; entry 3B, Rs. 10, as per the First Schedule as substituted in November 2025.
- The proprietor files, failing which any authorised user on record (rule 60(2)).
- Continuity of title must be shown if the proprietor has changed (rule 60(3)).
- If the proprietor no longer exists, authorised users in Part B on the due date act collectively (rule 60(5)).
- The Registrar may call for an affidavit of use before issuing a renewal certificate (rule 60(6)).
- Check for amendments after 3 November 2025.
Read next
- Rule 61: notice before removal from the register
- Rules 62-64: removal, restoration, and renewal and advertisement
- Rule 59: registration of authorised user and entry in Part B
- Section 18 of the GI Act: duration, renewal, removal and restoration
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.