International Conference “Georgia Against Counterfeiting and Piracy” 2019

On July 18, 2019, the International Conference “Georgia Against Counterfeiting and Piracy” was opened, jointly organized by the National Intellectual Property Center of Georgia Sakpatenti and the Commercial Law Development Program (CLDP), U.S. Department of Commerce. The conference took place for the fifth time and it was aimed to inform the participants on the local and international challenges of combatting counterfeiting and piracy, as well as to facilitate effective implementation of intellectual property enforcement mechanisms. The conference facilitates deepening a dialogue between the private and public sectors, and sharing interoffice and international experience.

The present conference was opened by Mr. Nnamdi Ezera, Senior Counsel, U.S. Department of Commerce, Commercial Law Development Program (CLDP), Mr. Genadi Lebanidze, Chairman of the National Intellectual Property Centre of Georgia Sakpatenti, Ms. Virag Halgand, Head, Section for Central European and Baltic States and Mediterranean Countries, World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and Mr. Elguja Berandze, Deputy Head of Customs Department of Revenue Service of Georgia.

The conference was attended by more than 130 delegates, including the representatives of the state sector, international and regional organizations, associations and foundations, as well as business sector representatives.

During the two-day event, representatives of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), judges of the U.S. District Courts, the U.S. National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center, the Anti-Counterfeiting Association REACT, Business Action to Stop Counterfeiting and Piracy (BASCAP), the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), customs structures of the countries of the region, the EU Twinning Project, local and foreign private companies and state agencies shared with the conference participants the international experience on issues of combatting against counterfeiting.  

This year, special attention at the conference was paid to the activity of the customs bodies of the region in combatting against counterfeiting. Within the panel discussion, representatives of customs bodies of Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Turkey and Ukraine considered the challenges regarding border measures and future ways of deepening regional cooperation. 

The conference also addressed the issues of global trends in combatting counterfeiting and piracy, including the impact of counterfeit goods on human health and economy.

The outcomes of measures carried out against counterfeiting in Georgia and existing challenges were also discussed.

The conference partners are: World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), Georgian Bar Association, and Achara Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The conference was sponsored by companies “Shalvino” and legal company “Mikadze, Gegetchkori, Taktakishvili”.