Sakpatenti Intellectual Property Teaching and Training Center will be Located in the Former Building of the Parliament in Kutaisi

On the initiative of Prime Minister of Georgia Mr. Irakli Kobakhidze, the former building of the Parliament in Kutaisi will be transformed into a high-technology center with modern standards. The building will house various scientific-research and training laboratories, including Sakpatenti Intellectual Property Teaching and Training Center, which will combine all functions related to dissemination of knowledge in the field of intellectual property and will be equipped with modern, innovative technologies.

Sakpatenti Training Center was established in 2015 on the basis of the Memorandum of Understanding signed between the Government of Georgia and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). Since its establishment, with the support of the WIPO Academy and other international partners, large-scale educational activities have been implemented regularly. Of these, mention should be made of the specialized International Course on Geographical Indications, which was attended by representatives of 14 different countries in the current year, as well as the International Summer School on Intellectual Property Law, which has been held annually from 2016 through cooperation of the “European Law Students’ Association Georgia” (ELSA Georgia) and Sakpatenti and in which more than 200 students from leading European universities have already participated. The General Course on Intellectual Property DL101GE is also noteworthy, which is particularly popular and was successfully completed by more than 1500 interested persons. One more successful project implemented by Sakpatenti Training Center was training of public school teachers in intellectual property teaching methodology. In addition, thematic training sessions, seminars and conferences tailored to the needs of different target groups are systematically organized by the Training Center, which includes on average 30-40 training activities every year and brings together several hundred participants. With the support of international partners in the IP field, work on a number of important projects has started and is ongoing. In this regard, introduction of the Specialized Distance Learning Course on Intellectual Property for Georgian Judges with the support of the WIPO Academy, as well as the Self-paced Online Course on Trademarks for representatives of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) are especially noteworthy.

It should be noted that, along with the increase of training programs, the dynamics of participation also increases from year to year. In addition, planned and ongoing reforms in the given field are significant, including legislative novelties  related to the patent attorney profession in Georgia, in particular, introduction of a new standard for patent attorneys’ qualification exam and continuous professional education, in which the Intellectual Property Teaching and Training Center plays a leading role. 

In the establishment of an effective intellectual property education system, strong support from such organizations as: the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) and the European Patent Office (EPO) is also important.