INTA’s 2020 Annual Meeting & Leadership Meeting is Held Virtually

The major event worldwide in the field of trademarks – the Annual Meeting of the International Trademark Association (INTA) was opened today, on November 16, 2020 and is held virtually.  The delegation of Georgia, headed by Mr. Mindia Davitadze, Chairman of Sakpatenti, will participate from November 16 to November 20, 2020 in various type of activities including educational, networking and working group sessions. 

The INTA Annual Meeting is an excellent platform to introduce intellectual property protection system of Georgia to the international society and to attract potential applicants. This is the best opportunity to establish contacts and to make new companies interested in Georgian market. Every year, more than 9500 companies of worldwide known various brands, leading law firms and offices related to the intellectual property field, such as the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), European Patent Office (EPO), China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) and IP Offices of other leading countries participate in the event. 

The Annual Meeting traditionally was preceded by meetings of INTA’s Committees and Subcommittees. The representative of the National Intellectual Property Office of Georgia Sakpatenti participated in the meetings of the Trademark Office Practices Committee’s European National Offices Subcommittee (ENO) and Anticounterfeiting Committee (ACC) —Eastern Europe and Central Asia Subcommittee. The abovementioned meetings were aimed to share the best practices of the IP Offices of Europe on topical issues related to trademarks, including the impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic on the work of IP Offices and statistical data of applications, as well as practical issues linked to examination of certification and collective marks. During the meeting, information was exchanged between offices on current approaches and the best practices with respect to anti-counterfeiting and trademark related rights enforcement.

The INTA’s activity is aimed to raise public awareness and to support the promotion of the trademark system in various directions. Along with this, in order to facilitate protection of trademark holders’ rights, it offers educational programs, provides legal assistance and supports improvement of relevant legislation. INTA comprises more than 6500 organizations from 185 countries and more than 34,350 specialists and professionals, including brand owners from major corporations, small and medium-sized enterprises, law firms and non-commercial organizations, trademark holders, as well as representatives of government agencies, professors and law students.