From 22 to 24 November 2021, Sakpatenti staff visited the EUIPO’s premises in Alicante for the purposes of a study trip. This visit allowed Sakpatenti representatives to meet with selected departments to familiarise themselves with the EUIPO’s procedures as a high performing IP office.
During the first two years of implementation, the EU-Georgia Intellectual Property Project (EUGIPP) has been supporting Sakpatenti by organising virtual meetings between the Georgian office and several EUIPO departments. Now this visit was the opportunity to concentrate on those departments, which were not met in the past, and on those areas where face-to-face meetings are preferred.
After a warm welcoming from the management of the International Cooperation Service, visitors met with the Operations Department examiners to have an insight on how decisions are drafted at first instance. They also met with representatives of the Board of Appeal with special attention on the different workflows, processes, decision drafting and IT support tools. Experts from the Litigation Service presented their role of representing EUIPO before the General Court and the Court of Justice, while lawyers from Legal Department shared EUIPO practical experience with WIPO DAS system. Furthermore, the Communication Service department shared best practices on both external and internal communication campaigns and methods.
In view of developing new activities for the next project annual work plan, the Observatory presented the management of stakeholder network, the methodology of specific studies, enforcement tools, as well as the latest development in the field of IP and education. Moreover, in order to support Sakpatenti in enhancing its HR policies and structure, the Human Resources Department shared experiences on recruitment, performance management system and career development. As regards learning and development, an interesting exchange with the Academy contributed to present EUIPO’s learning products, activities and services.
This study visit was an important achievement of the current work plan, which contributed to further strengthening the cooperation and building synergies between the EUIPO and Sakpatenti. Based on the outcomes of the study visits, the EUGIPP will continue to deliver activities to support Sakpatenti in their efforts to enhance the Georgian IP landscape for the benefit of users.