Pakistan has secured a major legal victory in a dispute over Basmati rice after Australia’s Federal Court dismissed an appeal by India’s Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) concerning rights to the name “Basmati.”
According to Pakistan’s Ministry of Commerce, the Federal Court of Australia rejected APEDA’s appeal against an earlier decision relating to its attempt to register “Basmati” as a trademark in the Australian market.
The court also ordered the Indian authority to pay the legal costs of the opposing party, the ministry said.
The Commerce Ministry described the ruling as a significant victory for Pakistan, saying it had prevented an attempt by India to establish exclusive rights over the Basmati name in Australia.
Pakistan has consistently maintained that Basmati is associated with a geographical region and agricultural heritage extending across both Pakistan and India and that no single country or institution should have exclusive rights to the name.
The ministry said the Australian ruling reinforced Pakistan’s longstanding position against any monopoly over the Basmati designation.
The decision could have important implications for Pakistani rice exporters in the Australian market, allowing them to continue marketing qualifying varieties under the internationally recognised Basmati name.