KVIC files to protect 'Khadi' name in Mexico, globally

By

Isabelle Crossley

Published
Jul 5, 2021

The Indian government’s Khadi and Village Industries Commission has applied to register its ‘Khadi’ brand and logo in Mexico and is battling against a local entity seeking to do the same. 

 
After fighting a number of legal battles in India over its ‘Khadi’ trademark, KVIC is ramping up its drive to register its brand in numerous countries. The organisation is pursuing these registrations as it looks to expand its international handloom distribution. KVIC has filed its most recent application to protect the ‘Khadi’ name from being used by other businesses in Mexico, where a Mexican business is also seeking to do the same, TNN reported.
 
Due to KVIC’s objections, the Mexican entity has not yet been able to register, as Mexican authorities have recognised the Khadi logo and brand as having a claim to by KVIC. The organisation also recently had its brand recognised by local authorities in the UAE and is also in the process of attempting to register its brand in Nepal, Japan, Myanmar, and Brazil. 

“In view of Khadi’s ever-growing popularity in India and globally, it has become very important for KVIC to protect the brand,” the chairman of KVIC, Vinai Kumar Saxena, told the Times of India.

“For the first time in the last five years, KVIC has made aggressive bids to safeguard Khadi from any misuse. These efforts have yielded significant results and helped Khadi’s sales grow by a big margin in last few years. Khadi’s trademark registrations are essentially to prevent khadi from duplication and safeguard the interest of our artisans.”