Muga silk from Assam, Madhubani paintings from Bihar, Kerala's Malabar pepper and green cardamom and Kovai Cora cotton from Tamil Nadu are among the 31 ethnic Indian products that were given protection last fiscal against anyone getting patents in their names throughout the world. The government granted a record number of protections against patents to region-specific products in 2007-08 through the Geographical Indications (GIs), a mechanism which India adopted through legislation in September, 2003.