Nepal, July 24 -- Beyond just fashion outrage, the recent controversy surrounding Prada's sandal, which bore a striking resemblance to India's traditional Kolhapuri sandals-officially recognised with a Geographical Indication (GI) in 2019-highlighted the urgent need to preserve cultural heritage through GI certification. Products originating from a particular place and having characteristics or a reputation associated with that place are labelled with a GI. Such indications are intricately linked to cultural identity. To be identified as a GI, a tag must clearly state that the product originates from a particular place. GI also guarantees customers that the product is genuine and pure by preventing counterfeiters from misusing the name. W...