Section 14 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.
Section 14 lets "any person" object to an advertised geographical indication application. The objector has three months from advertisement (extendable by up to one month in all), the applicant must answer within two months, and the Registrar decides after considering evidence and, if asked, hearing both sides. Missing the applicant's two-month window has a severe consequence: the application is deemed abandoned. If an opposition is filed against you, or you want to file one, a lawyer-led legal dispute resolution approach is sensible because every step is time-bound.
Any person may file a written notice of opposition within three months from the date of advertisement or re-advertisement, or within a further period not exceeding one month in the aggregate that the Registrar allows. The applicant must send a counter-statement within two months of receiving a copy of the notice, or is deemed to have abandoned the application. The Registrar then takes evidence, hears the parties if they so desire, and decides whether and on what conditions registration is to be permitted. He may also take up grounds the opponent did not raise.
Sub-section (1): who may oppose and when
"Any person may, within three months from the date of advertisement or readvertisement of an application for registration or within such further period, not exceeding one month, in the aggregate, as the Registrar, on application made to him in such manner and on payment of such fee as may be prescribed allows, give notice in writing in the prescribed manner to the Registrar, of opposition to the registration."
| Element | Text |
|---|---|
| Who | "Any person": no need to show a personal interest in the text of this sub-section |
| Period | Three months from the date of advertisement or readvertisement |
| Extension | Up to one month "in the aggregate", on application and prescribed fee, if the Registrar allows |
| Form | Notice in writing, in the prescribed manner |
So the longest outer limit from the printed text is three months plus a further period not exceeding one month. The extension is not automatic: the Registrar "allows" it on application. The fee is prescribed; the amount is not in the text. For how advertisement works, see Sections 12 and 13.
Sub-section (2): the applicant's counter-statement
"The Registrar shall serve a copy of the notice on the applicant for registration and, within two months from the receipt by the applicant of such copy of the notice of opposition, the applicant shall sent to the Registrar in the prescribed manner a counter-statement of the grounds on which he relies for his application, and if he does not do so, he shall be deemed to have abandoned his application."
The two months run from receipt by the applicant of the copy. Failure to send a counter-statement means the applicant "shall be deemed to have abandoned his application". Section 14 itself provides no extension for the counter-statement; whether any other provision of the Act could assist is outside this article. The printed text says "shall sent"; we read it as "shall send".
Sub-section (3): service on the opponent
"If the applicant sends such counter-statement, the Registrar shall serve a copy thereof on the person giving notice of opposition."
Sub-section (4): evidence and hearing
"Any evidence upon which the opponent and the applicant may rely shall be submitted in such manner and within the such time as may be prescribed to the Registrar, and the Registrar shall give an opportunity to them to be heard, if they so desire."
The manner and time for evidence are prescribed. The Registrar must offer a hearing if a party so desires.
Sub-section (5): the decision
"The Registrar shall, after hearing the parties, if so required, and considering the evidence, decide whether and subject to what conditions or limitations, if any, the registration is to be permitted, and may take into account a ground of objection whether relied upon by the opponent or not."
Two things follow. The Registrar's decision can be to permit registration, to refuse it, or to permit it subject to conditions or limitations. And he is not tied to the opponent's pleaded grounds; he "may take into account a ground of objection whether relied upon by the opponent or not". Grounds on which registration cannot be granted are in Section 9.
Sub-section (6): security for costs
"Where a person giving notice of opposition or an applicant sending a counter-statement after receipt of a copy of such notice neither resides nor carries on business in India, the Registrar may require him to give security for the costs of proceeding before him, and in default of such security being duly given, may treat the opposition or application, as the case may be, as abandoned."
This applies to a party who neither resides nor carries on business in India. The Registrar "may" require security; if it is not duly given he "may" treat the opposition or the application as abandoned. Both are permissive.
Sub-section (7): correcting the pleadings
"The Registrar may, on request, permit correction of any error in, or any amendment of, a notice of opposition or a counter-statement on such terms as he thinks just."
The timeline in one place
| Step | Who | Period |
|---|---|---|
| Notice of opposition | Any person | Within 3 months of advertisement or re-advertisement, plus up to 1 month in aggregate if allowed |
| Copy of notice served | Registrar | On the applicant (no period stated) |
| Counter-statement | Applicant | Within 2 months of receiving the copy; otherwise deemed abandoned |
| Copy of counter-statement served | Registrar | On the opponent (no period stated) |
| Evidence | Both | As prescribed |
| Hearing | Both, if they so desire | Before the Registrar |
| Decision | Registrar | Whether, and on what conditions, registration is permitted |
After the decision
If registration is permitted after opposition, the Registrar registers under section 16(1)(b) because "the opposition has been decided in favour of the applicant". An aggrieved party may appeal the Registrar's order or decision to the High Court within three months of its communication under section 31(1), as amended. Before the Tribunals Reforms Act, 2021 that appeal lay to the Appellate Board. See Section 31.
Example. The Riverbend Tea Growers' Society's application is advertised on 1 March. A rival trader, Hillcrest Teas, gives notice of opposition on 20 May, within three months. The Registrar serves a copy on the Society on 25 May, and the Society sends its counter-statement on 10 July, within two months of receipt. Had it waited until 30 July, it would be deemed to have abandoned its application. Both then file evidence as prescribed, and the Registrar hears them if they wish.
What section 14 does not say
- It does not list grounds of opposition.
- It does not state the fee, forms or the time for evidence.
- It does not itself extend the two-month counter-statement period.
- It does not say who bears costs, beyond security in sub-section (6).
Need help with an opposition?
Every period in section 14 is short and unforgiving, and a missed counter-statement ends the application. Our team handles these matters through legal dispute resolution, from the notice of opposition to evidence and hearing.
Key takeaways
- Any person may oppose within three months of advertisement or re-advertisement, plus up to one month in aggregate if the Registrar allows.
- The applicant must file a counter-statement within two months of receiving the notice, or the application is deemed abandoned.
- Evidence follows as prescribed, with a hearing if the parties so desire.
- The Registrar may take into account grounds not raised by the opponent.
- Foreign parties may be required to give security for costs.
Read next
- Section 16: registration and certificate
- Section 15: correction and amendment of application
- Section 31: appeals to the High Court
- GI registration process: application to certificate
Disclaimer: Based on the Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999 read with the Tribunals Reforms Act, 2021 and the Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Act, 2023, as consulted on 1 October 2026. Forms, fees and procedure are set by the rules made under the Act. This article is general information, not legal advice; check the official text before acting.