Gaining Competitive Advantage through the Protection of Geographic Indications: An Analysis of the Tea, Sapphires and Cinnamon Industries of Sri Lanka

The study aims to establish the policy importance of pursuing protection of geographic indications (GIs), as a way of stimulating growth. GIs are a category of intellectual property protected under the TRIPS Agreement, and identify goods with their geographical origin, where, as a result of the geographical origin the goods possess certain unique characteristics, or reputation. Therefore, the use of GIs facilitates product differentiation through a reputation for quality, and niche marketing. However, it also has significant legal, institutional and regulatory requirements. The study focuses on the tea, sapphires and cinnamon industries, looking at the benefits and costs of such an intellectual–property based strategy, given the existing domestic and international conditions in each particular sector.