- GI application process successfully completed
- Interested parties to be allowed to object to grant
- All necessary clearances obtained
Sri Lanka’s application for the registration of a Geographical Indication (GI) protection in the European Union (EU) for Ceylon Tea has been accepted and is slated to be published shortly to allow interested parties to object to the grant of GI to Ceylon Tea.
Speaking to The Sunday Morning Business, a high-ranking source in the local tea industry revealed that Sri Lanka had successfully completed the GI application process and that a summary of its application would now be published, allowing any legitimate interested parties to submit objections within three months.
“They have accepted Sri Lanka’s GI application for Ceylon Tea. All the necessary clearances have been obtained,” he stated.
The source further responded to remarks made by National Intellectual Property Office (NIPO) Director – Information and Examination Nalinda Atapattu at the Sri Lanka-USA Business Council (SLUSABC) breakfast forum on ‘The IP Trade Corridor – Strengthening US-Sri Lanka Economic Partnership through Intellectual Property Protection,’ alleging that NIPO had yet to receive an application to register Ceylon Tea as a GI.
He pointed out that the application for GI protection in the EU had been made with the consensus of all stakeholders, including NIPO.
The source further revealed that the Sri Lanka Tea Board had actively worked with NIPO and other stakeholders in developing the domestic legal framework required for the implementation of the GI system in Sri Lanka.
He explained that, as agreed among the relevant stakeholders, including NIPO, and based on the guidance provided by the French Agricultural Research Centre for International Development (CIRAD), the technical expert supporting the EU GI registration process, the domestic GI application had been intentionally planned to be submitted after the completion of the EU registration process.
He further stated that this strategy adopted for acquiring GI protection for Ceylon Tea was in line with the agreed implementation strategy and followed the same approach adopted for the registration of Ceylon Cinnamon.
Ceylon Tea is already protected as a certification mark under Class 30 in terms of the Intellectual Property Act No.36 of 2003.
The Sri Lanka Tea Board, in or around September 2024, submitted its application to obtain GI certification for Ceylon Tea in the EU with the assistance of CIRAD.
The initiative commenced with a tripartite agreement the board entered into with the French Development Agency (AFD) and CIRAD, worth € 1 million, for the development of a GI for Ceylon Tea. The agreement, signed in December 2021, provided a € 1 million grant valid for four years and involved the provision of technical assistance from CIRAD to establish the GI and the relevant certification systems for Ceylon Tea.
Under the EU GI process, once the summary of the application is published, a three-month objection period follows.
If no objections are raised during that time, Sri Lanka is expected to receive GI approval for Ceylon Tea shortly thereafter. However, if objections are submitted, Sri Lanka will be required to engage with the relevant parties and resolve any outstanding issues before approval can be granted.
GI certification serves to uphold and authenticate the quality, reputation, and characteristics of a product by linking it to a specific territory through intellectual property protection, while also giving it added value in national and international markets.