Tbilisi: The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) organized the Worldwide Symposium on Geographical Indications in cooperation with the National Center for Intellectual Property of Georgia (Sakpatent).
The opening of the Worldwide Symposium of Geographical Indications was attended by Agriculture Minister Otar Shamugia, Deputy Prime Minister of Georgia and the Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development, Levan Davitashvili, Chairman of the National Center for Intellectual Property and Wang Bining, the Deputy Director General of WIPO.
The Agriculture Minister commended the significance of the Geographical markings in the advancing economy and agri-business of Georgia. As Shamuguia stated, “System of local production names and geographical indications are one of the key components of ensuring the quality of agro product, protecting consumer interests and creating a friendly competitive environment for business.“
It is noteworthy that the production in the country is growing, and export is growing, which means that Georgian products will establish their place in international markets.
Preservation and popularization of products protected by geographical indications and place of production leads to economic development; such agro-food products enjoy high demand in the market.
It should be noted that today, at the National Center of Intellectual Protection of Georgia, 29 names of wines, 8 names of mineral water, and 26 names of foods are protected by geographical names.
The shagwine dish “Kvevri” will soon become the first non-food product to be added to the state register of geographical indications,” Otar Shamugia said while addressing the symposium.
It is noteworthy that in 2017, the Ministry of Environment and Agriculture established a “Marketing Council for the purpose of developing schemes of geographical indications in Georgia, promoting product branding, implementation of international marketing practices and protecting them, and completing legal and institutional mechanisms”, which is based on the requirements defined by international practice.
This is how it implements and actively cooperates with the patent, international organizations and to all the concerned parties. In addition, the Ministry’s Food Policy Department is actively working on developing quality schemes and improving legal defence mechanisms.
During the symposium, Minister of Environment and Agriculture Otar Shamugia met Wang Bining, Deputy Director General of the World Intellectual Property Organization WIPO.
The minister thanked the leadership of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and the National Center for Intellectual Property of Georgia for organizing the World Symposium.
At the meeting, it was noted that the issue of protecting and controlling geographical indications and names of places of origin is one of the challenges both in the world and in Georgia and to get to know and share international experience, which is the possibility of the Worldwide Symposium on Geographical Indications in Tbilisi, is very important.
Within the framework of the symposium, June 14-16, sessions will be held on the topics: branding and marketing strategies of geographical indications; selected examples of development; geographical indications in the tourism value chain: Gastronomic tourism/ecotourism; management and quality of geographical events; geographical markings, trade and general titles.
