Canberra: An Australian court has dismissed an appeal filed by India’s Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) in a dispute over the “Basmati” word mark.
The court also ordered APEDA to pay the legal costs associated with the case.
According to Pakistan’s Ministry of Commerce, the ruling validates Pakistan’s longstanding position that Basmati rice is produced in both Pakistan and India.
Australian authorities had already recognised that Basmati rice is also cultivated in Pakistan and that Pakistani exporters have an equal right to use the name.
Commerce Minister Jam Kamal Khan congratulated the ministry’s team on the legal victory.
APEDA had sought to register the word “Basmati” as a certification trademark in Australia.
