The Regional Symposium on the Topic of Protection of Geographical Indications was Held in Turkey

A geographical indication, which indicates a place which determines the specific characteristics of products originating there, requires special protection in the conditions of globalization. To share experience and knowledge on this topic, a symposium was held in Antalya, the Republic of Turkey, with the participation of representatives of Intellectual Property Offices of various countries.

The regional meeting was organized by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) in cooperation with the Turkish Patent and Trademark Office (TURKPATENT), the National Intellectual Property Center of Georgia Sakpatenti and the Intellectual Property Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan. At the symposium, held on November 24 and 25, 2022, Sakpatenti was represented by Ms. Nino Chikovani, Deputy Chairperson, and Mr. Merab Kutsia, Head of Department of Inventions and New Varieties and Breeds.

Ms. Nino Chikovani delivered a welcome address to the symposium participants, highlighted the importance of the event and noted: “Georgia attaches great importance to the development of the national GI protection system, which is largely due to the economic benefits offered by the implementation of the geographical indications system.” The Deputy Chairperson of Sakpatenti delivered a presentation on the development of the geographical indications system in Georgia, current practice and ongoing initiatives. Ms. Nino Chikovani, together with the Azerbaijani and Turkish counterparts, also participated in the panel discussion of the symposium. The representatives of the IP Offices of the above-mentioned countries shared with the participants information on the activity of producers associations and discussed success stories.

At the regional meeting the delegates considered the system of cross-border protection of geographical indications and possibilities of its use by producers. In addition, discussion took place regarding protection of geographical indications in a globalized world and their collective management, the role and functions of producers associations in this process. The symposium delegates discussed the GIs quality control and overviewed successful practice of control and certification schemes.

Together with the representatives of the offices organizing the event, delegates from the Intellectual Property Offices of Uzbekistan, Moldova, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Serbia participated in the work of the two-day symposium. The event was attended by members of the European Commission, the International Geographical Indications Network “OriGIn” and producers associations of goods protected by geographical indications. Within the symposium an exhibition took place, where the participants got acquainted with geographical indications protected in various countries.