The Parliament Supported the Amendments to the Law of Georgia “On Design”

At the plenary session, the Parliament of Georgia, at III reading, unanimously approved the amendments to the Law of Georgia “On Design”, which were prepared on the initiative and by the authorship of the National Intellectual Property Center of Georgia – “Sakpatenti”.

By adoption of the draft Law, the current legislation in the field of design protection has been brought into line with the requirements of the Riyadh Design Law Treaty (RDLT). The adopted draft Law has defined the legal grounds, conditions and procedural rule of reinstatement of the right of priority. As a result of the amendments, interested parties and design owners will have an opportunity to reinstate the right of priority or the rights to a design in the event that failure to meet the timeframe was caused by objective reasons beyond their control. This norm will regulate issues related to reinstatement of the right of priority and the rights of the design owner in case of failure to meet the timeframe.

It is noteworthy that the Riyadh Design Law Treaty aims to reduce the practical and administrative barriers which make it more difficult for designers and entrepreneurs, especially small and medium-sized businesses, to obtain legal protection for their designs and to operate on the international market. The Treaty facilitates streamlining of procedures, reduces administrative costs and increases the predictability of legal protection.

Design protection represents one of the main intellectual property tools promoting innovation, fair competition and economic development. In the digital era, when the visual identity of a product forms a considerable competitive advantage, special importance attaches to existence of an effective legal framework which ensures protection of designers’ work. The development of the system for protection of design, as one of the important intellectual property objects, is aimed at full use of creative resources and their transformation into economic potential. Legal and institutional strengthening of this field not only enhances creative industries, but also creates a favourable environment for attraction of investments and encouraging of innovative activities.

The Riyadh Design Law Treaty, together with the regulations developed on its basis and the relevant resolution, were adopted on November 22, 2024, at the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Diplomatic Conference to Conclude and Adopt a Design Law Treaty, which was held in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.