“Digital Creativity: Culture Reimagined” – is the slogan of the World Intellectual Property Day in 2016. National Intellectual Property Center of Georgia Sakpatenti is launching a campaign related to the theme of the World Intellectual Property Day, which is aimed at raising public awareness and combatting piracy and copyright infringement in the cyberspace. Within the campaign, today, on January 27, 2016, Sakpatenti, in cooperation with “Microsoft Georgia”, is holding a workshop on intellectual property protection issues related to licensed software. The first workshop will be attended by representatives of audit companies, who will be familiarized with advantages of licensed software, international and local experience in cyber security and measures taken to protect intellectual property, as well as legal mechanisms for protection of computer programs in Georgia.
On January 26, 2016, Ambassador of the United States of America to Georgia H.E. Mr. Ian C. Kelly familiarized with the process of implementation of the projects in the intellectual property field, carried out in partnership with the Government of the United States of America. Chairman of the National Intellectual Property Center of Georgia Sakpatenti Mr. Nikoloz Gogilidze introduced to the Ambassador the ongoing project on electronic filing and e-Governance system, financed by USAID, as well as the project related to school textbooks on intellectual property for pupils of primary classes, created with the G-PriED support. During the meeting at Sakpatenti the future cooperation plans were discussed, in particular, the support of the US Government in the implementation of Sakpatenti Action Plan, which aims supporting the project on the Intellectual Property Educational Center, improvement of examination, promotion of innovation activity and development of the branding system, as well as supporting public awareness events in the intellectual property field, planned in 2016. The meeting was attended by Head of USAID Mission to Georgia Douglas Ball, Economic Officer of US Embassy Mr. Charles Setten and Financial and Commercial Sector Advisor at the USAID Office of Economic Growth, Mr. Revaz Ormotsadze.
The delegation of the Patent Office of the Republic of Bulgaria, headed by Vice-President David Sukalinski, is paying a two-day visit to Georgia to sign a Working Plan for Cooperation between the Patent Office of the Republic of Bulgaria and the National Intellectual Property Center of Georgia Sakpatenti.
First course of Intellectual Property law has just started at IP academy. The academy has been established on the basis of Sakpatenti. Firsts certificated IP academy lawyers will be from “Legal Assistance and Public Involvement Municipal Center” of Tbilisi City Hall and LEPL Legal Aid. Aim of the course is to extend knowledge of the lawyers in Intellectual property law. The course is conducted in the framework of the signed memorandum of understanding between above mentioned entities and national intellectual property center of Georgia. The course is 26 hours long; it is delivered two times a week for 2 hours long sessions. The course is delivered by the management of Sakpatenti. Raising public awareness in Intellectual property is the obligation of Georgia under the “Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement” between European Union and Georgia.
Mr. Stephen Lee, US patent attorney, nominated by US News as the best patent attorney of New York in 2015, is visiting Georgia by the invitation of the National Intellectual Property Center of Georgia Sakpatenti. During the visit, on January 15, 2016, at the Office of Sakpatenti, Mr. Steven Lee is offering a lecture on “US Patent Disputes in the Pharmaceutical Field from the Viewpoint of Intellectual Property” for patent attorneys of Georgia, association of representatives of pharmaceutical companies, Sakpatenti lawyers and examiners. For the last 30 years Mr. Stephen Lee has been working for the law firm “Kenyon & Kenyon”, specializing in intellectual property.
On January 12, 2016, Mr. Marius Kuningas, Director of the Intellectual Property and Technology Transfer Centre of Estonia, visited Georgia on the invitation of the National Intellectual Property Center of Georgia Sakpatenti. Mr. Kuningas participated in the workshop on Intellectual Property Commercialization and Technology Transfer.