Representatives of the European Patent Office (EPO) visited Georgia to finalize the text of the “Agreement with the European Patent Office on Validation of European Patents” (Validation Agreement).
On March 23, 2018, at National Intellectual Property Centre of Georgia Sakpatenti, the second round of negotiations took place between the parties of Georgia and the Republic of Moldova to adopt the text of the Agreement on “Mutual Recognition and Protection of Geographical Indications between Georgia and the Republic of Moldova”.
On March 19, a meeting took place at Sakpatenti Tbilisi Office, where amendments of the Law of Georgia “On Appellations of Origin and Geographical Indications of Goods” were discussed, which implies approximation of the Law with the Geneva Act of Lisbon Agreement for the Protection of Appellations of Origin and their International Registration.
The National Intellectual Property Centre of Georgia Sakpatenti the first IP office outside the EU to join the Quality standards tool (EUIPN) search network of the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO).
Today, on March 14, a meeting of the EU-Georgia Sub-Committee on Geographical Indications, envisaged by the Association Agreement with the European Union, took place at Tbilisi Office of the National Intellectual Property Centre of Georgia Sakpatenti. During the meeting, Decision No1/2018 of the Geographical Indications Sub-Committee modifying Annexes XVII-C and XVII-D to the Association Agreement between the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community and their Member States, of the one part, and Georgia, of the other part, was signed.
On March 5-9, 2018, Module 4 Training: “Trademarks and Trademark Enforcement” is organized by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and National Intellectual Property Center of Georgia Sakpatenti for trainers of the Georgian Intellectual Property (IP) Academy.
Successful enforcement of rights on Georgian appellation of origin “Kindzmarauli” took place in the Russian Federation. The court sentenced a person who was using unlawfully the appellation of origin “Kindzmarauli” to imprisonment for a term of one year and one month. In February of last year, the relevant unit of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation arrested in Volgograd an entrepreneur accused of storing 830 bottles of counterfeit alcoholic drink, labeled with Georgian appellation of origin “Kindzmarauli”. The National Intellectual Property Centre of Georgia Sakpatenti, through a hired legal company, became engaged in the legal proceedings related to the given case and requested implementation of legal measures with respect to the infringer. In February, 2018, the District Court of Volgograd passed a verdict of guilty against the accused infringer. By the ruling of the court, the counterfeit goods bearing the given appellation of origin were also destroyed.
On February 28, 2018, a meeting took place between Mr. Nikoloz Gogilidze, Chairman of National Intellectual Property Centre of Georgia Sakpatenti, and Mr. Marcus Höpperger, Director, Madrid Registry, Brands and Designs Sector, World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), at Sakpatenti Office in Mtskheta. During the meeting the parties considered several ongoing projects which are mostly linked with integration of Sakpatenti databases into the WIPO registration system. In particular, by means of the WIPO E-filing tool, the Georgian users will be given an opportunity, to use the Georgian interface to extend electronically an application filed with Sakpatenti to the member states of the Madrid System. In addition, the international applications where Georgia will be indicated as a country of extension automatically will be received by Sakpatenti.
Today, on February 27, 2018, Seminar “The Effective Use of the Madrid System for the International Registration of Marks” is organized by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) in cooperation with National Intellectual Property Center of Georgia Sakpatenti. The seminar is attended by patent attorneys of Georgia and representatives of private companies, who are using the Madrid System for the International Registration of Marks. The meeting is led by Mr. Marcus Höpperger, representative of WIPO, and Mr. Hubert Doleac, Lawyer of Company “Troller Hitz Troller”, invited speaker of WIPO.