Georgia’s New Legal Framework on Geographical Indications was Discussed as a Case Study of Successful Reform at the WIPO/WTO Joint Colloquium

At the international colloquium, organized jointly by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and the World Trade Organization (WTO), the case study of the reform implemented in Georgia was discussed. On the invitation of the WIPO Academy, Ms. Mery Macharashvili, Head of the Department of Inventions and New Varieties and Breeds, National Intellectual Property Center of Georgia – “Sakpatenti”, delivered a presentation with the status of a speaker. The topic of her presentation was the legal framework of Georgia’s geographical indications as a vivid example of a successfully implemented reform.

The WIPO-WTO colloquium for teachers and researchers, which celebrates its 20^th edition this year, brought together academic staff and teachers from various universities of 28 countries. The colloquium provides an opportunity to intellectual property specialists, university academic staff and researchers of IP law and policy to learn about the ongoing processes current in the given field, deepen their knowledge, consider the latest trends in teaching and research, and engage in discussions. The participants of the course had an opportunity to learn directly from their Georgian colleague about the specificity of the GI legal framework of Georgia and get acquainted in detail with the factors determining the success of the reform implemented in Georgia.

At the colloquium, the success of the geographical indications protection system of Georgia and the growing international interest were confirmed once again. The legal reform implemented by Georgia since 2023 has further strengthened the position of the country on in the field of GI protection and increased the international interest in terms of experience-sharing. It is noteworthy that these changes were preceded by the Twinning Project “Establishing Efficient Protection and Control System of Geographical Indications (GIs) in Georgia”, supported by the European Union. Within this project the draft Law of Georgia “On Appellations of Origin and Geographical Indications” was prepared, which was adopted by the Parliament of Georgia on September 21, 2023. The enactment of the new Law will improve considerably the legal framework of geographical indications in Georgia and facilitate better protection and international recognition of local products.

Sakpatenti actively continues to share knowledge and experience at the international level. In this respect, the annual international course on geographical indications is noteworthy, which is implemented together with the WIPO Academy since 2017 and is particularly popular among professional circles. Deepening of  international cooperation of Georgia in the field of GIs and dissemination of best practices facilitate increasing of the awareness of unique Georgian products on international markets and successful positioning of Georgia in this direction.