India enacted The Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999 in order to comply with the obligations

The Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999 was enacted by India to comply with its obligations under the TRIPS (Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights) Agreement of the WTO (World Trade Organization).

Article 22 of the TRIPS Agreement defines a Geographical Indication (GI) as an indication that identifies a good as originating in a specific territory, region, or locality, where a particular quality, reputation, or characteristic of the good is essentially attributable to its geographical origin.

GIs are protected as a form of Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) under the TRIPS Agreement.

Therefore, India enacted the Act in 1999 to meet its WTO obligations.