India enacted The Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999 in order to comply with the obligations to
Answer & explanation
Answer: (d) WTO
India passed the Geographical Indications Act, 1999 as a member of the World Trade Organization (WTO). Protection of geographical indications is required by the WTO's TRIPS Agreement (Articles 22 to 24), so the law was needed to meet that obligation.
- ✓ (d) TRIPS, the WTO's Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights, covers geographical indications in Articles 22 to 24. India enacted its GI Act in 1999 as a WTO member; it came into force on 15 September 2003.
- ✗ (a) The ILO (International Labour Organization) deals with labour standards, not intellectual property.
- ✗ (b) The IMF deals with monetary cooperation and balance-of-payments support, not intellectual property such as GI tags.
Remember · GI Act, 1999 (in force 15 September 2003) follows the WTO's TRIPS Agreement, Articles 22-24.
Sources
- Background of Geographical Indication, Intellectual Property India (Government of India) ↗ “India, as a member of the World Trade Organization (WTO), enacted the Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration & Protection)Act, 1999 has come into force with effect from 15th September 2003.”
Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2018, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). ·