Sakpatenti and the European Patent Office (EPO) Approved a Two-Year Joint Work Plan – Mr. Soso Giorgadze and Mr. António Campinos Signed the Document in Geneva

Within the 65th Series of Meetings of the Assemblies of Member States of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), Mr. Soso Giorgadze, Chairman of Sakpatenti, met with Mr. António Campinos, President of the European Patent Office (EPO). 

During the meeting Mr. Soso Giorgadze and Mr. António Campinos signed a two-year joint Work Plan, which is a result of bilateral fruitful cooperation and will contribute significantly to the strengthening of protection of intellectual proportion in Georgia. The agreement envisages development of the institution of patent attorneys in Georgia, elaboration of Sakpatenti electronic proceedings, as well as improvement of existing services and support in introduction of new services. In addition, it is planned to implement joint activities for raising qualifications of patent examiners.

It should be noted that adoption of the joint two-year Work Plan between Georgia and the European Patent Office is one more important step forward on the way to European integration, which in its turn will have a positive impact on the acceleration of the process of Georgia’s accession to the European Patent Convention and as a result, Georgia will become a full-fledged member of the European Patent Organisation.

It is noteworthy that signing the Work Plan was preceded by the Agreement on Validation of European Patents in Georgia, which entered into force on January 15, 2024, and Georgia, the fastest growing economy in the region, joined the European patent area as the 45th country. 

At the meeting with EPO President Mr. Mr. António Campinos, held in Geneva, Mr. Soso Giorgadze discussed in detail the significant changes implemented by Sakpatenti in the current year, special attention was devoted to the reform of the institution of patent attorneys, within which, the Law on Patent Attorneys was enacted for the first time in Georgia, which will ensure formation of a totally new, modern institution in the country, focused on development and introduction of novelties. Sakpatenti Chairman highlighted the importance of sharing the EPO experience in effective introducing of standards of continuous professional development of patent attorneys in directions such as patent attorneys’ qualification exams and special training courses. 

The General Assembly of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) is held in Geneva every year. This year, the 65th Series of Meetings of the Assemblies of the Member States of WIPO opened on July 9 and will continue to July 17. At the current series of meetings, the delegates of the Assemblies will summarize the results of the activities of the previous year, will discuss the challenges and tasks existing in the area and will consider the main directions and priorities determining the IP policy of the WIPO Member States. 

Within the Assembly, Sakpatenti Chairman will meet with Mr. Daren Tang, Director General of WIPO, Ms. Wang Binying, Deputy Director General of WIPO, as well as with Mr. Sherif Saadallah, Executive Director of WIPO Intellectual Property Academy, and Mr. João Negrão, Executive Director of the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO).