TIRUPATI LADU GI CASE

The delicious and holy prasadam of Tirumala shrine- popularly tagged as Tirupati Laddu has finally won the GI ( geographical identification ) label.

Sold in lakhs at Tirumala and its units across the country and all over the world, the Tirupati Laddu earned a record earning of Rs220 crore for the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam in 2013. The office of the Registrar of Patents, Trademarks and Geographical Indications, India had awarded the status of a Registered Geographical Indications to ‘Tirupati Laddu’, the famed sweet laced with a generous helping of dried fruits and nuts. It is prepared by Visakha sect of Bramins inside the sacred kitchen of the Srivari temple in Tirumala shrine.

The GI registration was facilitated by CII’S Andhra Pradesh Technology Development and Promotion Centre (APTDC). The TTD had sought this registration in 2008 during the regime of then EO K V Ramanachari to safeguard the Intellectual Property pertaining to the Tirupati laddu.

Further a suit filed at the Madras High Court against fake manufacturers of Tirupati laddu were hauled up and reprimanded. In a landmark judgment on February 25, the court had indicted that only the laddu made in the Srivari kitchen of Tirumala and sold officially by TTD were entitled for the tag of Tirupati Laddu.

Jyoti Kumar, head of APTDC said the court order could be the first of its kind in India, confirming the rights of a registered Geographical Indication as against its unauthorized use by third parties”.