The IPKat has found another gem of IP rights confusion in this piece from the Mumbai Mirror, India:
"The ancient Indian rural art of Madhubani painting is next in the race to be patented after the Pochampally sari design. National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Nabard), a facilitator for rural artisans, is pushing the case for Madhubani.Getting a design patented as a GI is a real triple whammy, says the IPKat. But how come there was no mention of copyright ...?
The style Pochampally, tie-and-dye silk woven saris made at the Pochampally village near Hyderabad, got the Geographical Indication (GI) status early this year. Scotch and Champagne are the other commonly known items that have the GI status.
“Getting Pochampally design patented by the Controller General of Patents, Designs and Trademarks under the Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999, was a first of its kind achievement for grassroots level artisans. Madhubani paintings are acclaimed worldwide and has a big international market. It is the need of the hour to get it patented,” said TS Raji Gain, Deputy General Manager (Women and Environmental Cell), Nabard.
Out in the cold?
Intel inside here
Intel in court here and here