Representatives of Intellectual Property Offices of the Caucasian and Eastern European Countries Gathered at the Working Group in Batumi

The National Intellectual Property Center of Georgia – Sakpatenti is hosting in Georgia representatives of the Intellectual Property Offices and Customs Departments of Armenia, and Moldova. Today, on July 27, 2022, the regional Expert Level Working Group on IPR took place to outline plans for coordinated work against counterfeiting. The event was held with the support of the U.S. Department of Commerce Commercial Law Development Program (CLDP).

The meeting was opened by Ms. Manana Pruidze, Acting Chairperson of Sakpatenti. The welcoming address was delivered by Mr. Nnamdi Ezera, Senior Counsel, CLDP.

Together with the representatives of the IP Offices of the Caucasus and Eastern Europe, representatives of Customs Departments of the above-mentioned countries attended the Working Group, who considered jointly the challenges related to intellectual property rights protection and enforcement, from the perspective of the IP Offices and Customs Departments, in the regional aspect. In addition, the topics to be discussed included mechanisms of traceability of goods while crossing the border and the role of offices involved in enforcement. The subject of discussion was regional cooperation from the viewpoint of intellectual property protection.

The regional Expert Level Working Group is the second event in the IPR week program. With the CLDP support, Sakpatenti already hosted in Batumi the International Conference “Georgia Against Counterfeiting and Piracy”. Following the Working Group, of representatives of the IP Offices and Customs Departments of the Caucasus and Eastern Europe, on July 28, the “Trans-Caspian IP Forum” is scheduled. To share experience of the United States of America in the field of IP protection, on July 30-31, the workshop on “Adjudication of Civil Intellectual Property Infringement Cases” will be held, the objective of which is sharing U.S. experience in the direction of intellectual property protection with Georgian judges.