Mr. Daren Tang – We Consider Georgia as a Very Strong and Reliable Partner

Meeting between Mr. Mindia Davitadze, Chairman of Sakpatenti, and Mr. Daren Tang, newly elected Director General of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), took place at the WIPO headquarters in Geneva. In 2021 Sakpatenti representative will lead the Central European and Baltic States (CEBS) Regional Group and Sakpatenti Chairman in person introduced the Group Coordinator to Mr. Daren Tang.

CEBS Group is one of the seven groups of WIPO members states. It unites Estonia, the Czech Republic, Lithuania, Poland and other countries of the Central Europe and Baltic Countries to simplify coordination and to voice jointly the Group position on Committee sessions and various platform meetings. In 2020 the intensive and successful activity in the field and active work of Sakpatenti on the WIPO platform, on the one hand, and in the direction of international affairs in general, on the other hand, became the basis for granting Georgia the status of the Regional Coordinator for the CEBS Group. This will give Georgia an opportunity to express the position of 18 countries united in the Group and coordinate their positions, which, in its turn, will facilitate promotion of the positive image of Georgia on the WIPO platform and greater integration of the country into the World Intellectual Property forum.

WIPO Director General Mr. Daren Tang noted at the meeting that “it’s really a journey of evolution, for the past few decades, IP all over the world, including Georgia, has been on the journey from the periphery to the center, because more and more countries are beginning to see IP not just from the legal perspective but also to see IP from the perspective as the catalyst for jobs, as a place where we are attracting investments, for enterprise growth and economical growth. But throughout this period Georgia’s cooperation with WIPO has been continuously strengthening and, making it more diverse. We consider Georgia as a very strong and reliable partner and we really appreciate this constructive approach in not just a normative agenda, normative profile, but also as governance discussion with WIPO. Overall, Georgia has been actively helping us, WIPO and other working member states, to ship the global IP ecosystem for the benefit of all. Once again, I also welcome the decision of Georgia to assume the role of the Regional Coordinator for the Central European and Baltic States (CEBS) Group, for the second time, in 2021, shortly after handling this task in 2017”.

At the meeting the intensity and large scale of cooperation between WIPO and Sakpatenti was stressed, which covers all areas of IP, especially the direction of IP education, focusing on all parts of the population, even young kids. Readiness was expressed to deepen the cooperation aimed to introduce the Master’s Program on intellectual property in Georgia. The parties also considered the issue of building capacity of small and medium enterprises and universities, aimed not just to protect IP, but also to commercialize IP. Along with this, the area of IP enforcement was evaluated, which implies building training capabilities of judges and the judiciary. In addition, the cooperation in the field of protection geographical indications was also discussed.

During the meeting the possibility of working visit of WIPO Director General to Georgia was considered. Mr. Daren Tang accepted the invitation of Mr. Mindia Davitadze and noted that he will be glad to visit Georgia in 2022 after the end of the pandemic and stabilization of the situation.

“We also use Georgia’s experience as the role model to build capacity of other WIPO member states. So let me just also thank Mr. Mindia Davitadze for all his assistance and consensus upon to the work program activities of WIPO and also to thank the Ambassador Maisuradze, of Georgia to the UN Office in Geneva, for his very constructive work with WIPO” - noted Mr. Daren Tang.

The positions of the National Intellectual Property Centre of Georgia Sakpatenti in the region from the viewpoint of approximation with the European Union standards are assessed positively by WIPO and the Office is eager not only to retain, but also to strengthen the positions. Mr. Mindia Davitadze introduced to WIPO Director General his vision to focus on more advanced intellectual property training modules, to broaden and strengthen dialogue in order to intensify innovative capacities. Mr. Daren Tang shared the vision of Sakpatenti Chairman regarding improvement of the innovative performance of Georgia with the support of WIPO, using the Global Innovation Index tools.

The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) is the global forum for intellectual property policy, services, information and cooperation. It is a self-funding specialized agency of the United Nations, dedicated to making IP work for innovation and creativity. WIPO staff, member states and stakeholders share a common goal: to create an efficient and accessible intellectual property system that provides benefits to all. WIPO unites 193 member states, including Georgia, which became a member in 1994. Georgia is represented at WIPO by the National Intellectual Property Centre of Georgia - Sakpatenti.