The Sector Economy and Economic Policy Committee of the Parliament of Georgia Supported the Amendments to the Law of Georgia “On Design”

The Sector Economy and Economic Policy Committee reviewed and supported the draft Law of Georgia on Amendments to the Law of Georgia “On Design”. The draft amendments to the Law of Georgia “On Design”, prepared by Sakpatenti, will improve the mechanisms of legal protection of designs in Georgia and will ensure further approximation with the EU legislation in the field of design protection. 

The development of the intellectual property system is one of the priorities of the Government of Georgia, which also implies introduction of modern standards and approaches provided for by the EU legislation into the Georgian legislation. In order to eliminate in the current Law “On Design” certain procedural and technical inconsistencies with the EU legislation, a number of meetings were held with EU specialists within the EU-Georgia Intellectual Property Project (EUGIPP), a comparative analysis of Georgian and EU legislation was conducted, and, on the basis of consultations with intellectual property experts, draft amendments to the Law were developed, aimed to improve the legislative and institutional framework of designs in Georgia and to harmonize it with the EU legislation. 

As a result of the above-mentioned amendments, design examination and legal protection will be improved, and the authority of the Chamber of  Appeals – the dispute hearing body, functioning at Sakpatenti – will be increased. In addition, re-examination of designs will be introduced, which will create a possibility of faster hearing of disputes related to invalidity of designs. This will help the parties to avoid lengthy court proceedings and will facilitate improvement of the design protection system. 

In its turn, design registration serves to develop the intellectual and creative potential of a person and to create a highly competitive environment. And the effective system of its protection ensures protection against unfair competition, which promotes trade and, ultimately, supports the economic development of the country.