General Information | Patents of Invention
Trade & Service Marks | Industrial Designs | Domain Names
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General Information

Area: 69,700 sq. km.
Population: 4,677,400 inhabitants.
Capital: Tbilisi with about 1,100,000 inhabitants.
Language: Georgian.
Currency: Lari.

GENERAL REMARKS

One of the ex-USSR republics, now an independent state with its own Patent Office (SAKPATENTY). The Georgian Patent and Trademark Laws entered into force on May 24, 1999.

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Patents of Invention

LEGAL BASIS

• Patent Law of February 4, 1999, in force as of May 24, 1999.

MEMBERSHIP IN INTERNATIONAL CONVENTIONS

• Paris Convention (since January 18, 1994).
• Patent Cooperation Treaty (since March 18, 1994).
• Budapest Treaty on the International Recognition of the Deposit of Microorganisms for the Purposes of Patent Procedure (since 2003).
• (Not yet member of Eurasian Patent Convention).

FILING REQUIREMENTS

• Power of Attorney (no legalization);
• Assignment of rights to patent, if the inventor is not the applicant;
• Specification, claims and abstract (may be filed in Georgian or any other language whereby the certified Georgian translation should be filed within a one-month term);
• Drawings, 2 sets;
• Priority document, if any (to be filed within three months from the filing date).

REMARKS

National Phase of PCT: under Chapter I: 31 months; under Chapter II: 31 months.
Validity: 20 years from the filing date.
Annuities: accumulated and paid within three months from the publication date, after granting annually.
Opposition: within three months from the date of publication of the abstract.

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Trade and Service Marks

LEGAL BASIS

• Trademark Law of February 4, 1999, in force as of May 24, 1999.

MEMBERSHIP IN INTERNATIONAL CONVENTIONS

• Paris Convention, since January 18, 1994.
• Madrid Protocol, since May 20, 1998.
• TRIPS, since October 1999.
• Nice Agreement, since February 28, 2003.

FILING REQUIREMENTS

• Power of Attorney, no legalization;
• The sign to be protected, and its description; 12 prints. If in color, at least 6 of the prints must be in color;
• List of goods and services, according to the international classification;
• The priority certificate, if any.

REMARKS

Kinds of protection: wordmarks, device marks or combinations of both, two and three-dimensional designations. Collective and service marks are registrable. Besides the original version, filing of wordmark applications in the Georgian Script is highly recommended. It is also recommended to file the Cyrillic version, especially if the mark is protected in the entire territory of the former Soviet Union.
Classification: International.
Obligation to use the registered mark: compulsory. A trademark, which is not used during any five-year period after the registration date (or the last date of use), may be cancelled upon request filed by an interested party.
Duration – renewals: 10-year period from the registration date, renewable for further periods of ten years.
Opposition: not provided for but comments may be filed after publication.

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Industrial Designs

LEGAL BASIS

• Patent Law of February 4, 1999, in force as of May 24, 1999.

MEMBERSHIP IN INTERNATIONAL CONVENTIONS

• Paris Convention (since January 18, 1994)
• Hague Agreement Concerning the International Deposit of Industrial Designs (Geneva Act), since August 1, 2003.

FILING REQUIREMENTS

• Power of Attorney, not legalized;
• The model itself or, when not appropriate, photographs or drawings thereof; (5 copies);
• Designation of the model with indication of characteristics;
• Specification of the model, if necessary;
• Priority document, if any.

REMARKS

Duration – renewals: 15 years from the filing date.
Opposition: within three months from the publication date.

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Domain Names

LEGAL BASIS

• There is no specific legislation on country code top-level domain names.

FILING

• ccTLD: .ge
• Applicant: Individuals and legal entities.
• Local Presence: required.

REMARKS

Duration – renewals: one year, renewable.
Uniform dispute resolution procedure: none.

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More

If you wish more detailed information concerning intellectual property protection in this territory please contact us or order Katzarov’s Manual on Industrial Property®.

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