Patent registration in Georgia. Georgia, officially the Republic of Georgia from 1990 to 1995, is a transcontinental country located in the Caucasus, at the intersection of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. Georgia is a developing country, classified as “very high” on the Human Development Index. Economic reforms since independence have led to higher levels of economic freedom and ease of doing business, as well as reductions in corruption indicators, poverty, and unemployment. It is one of the first countries in the world to legalize cannabis, becoming the only former-socialist state to do so. Accordingly, many businesses want to enter this market and one of the most important preparations a business needs to take before expanding to this country is to learn the procedure of patent registration in Georgia.
Patent in Georgia
A patent in Georgia will be granted to inventions such as a process, machine, manufacture, or composition of matter, or any new and useful improvement thereof.
In addition, an ornamental design for an article of manufacture or an asexually reproduced plant, including cultivated sports, mutants, hybrids, newly found seedlings, etc. is all qualified to be granted a patent in Georgia.
On the other hand, the subjects that are not qualified to be granted a patent are products of nature, abstract ideas, laws of nature, natural phenomenon, business methods, and inventions that do not follow the laws of thermodynamics.
Necessary documents for patent registration in Georgia
The necessary documents for patent registration in Georgia include:
- The request to grant a patent (patent application);
- Detailed information on the applicant(s) including the applicant’s and inventor’s names, addresses, citizenships, etc.;
- A description of the invention;
- A signed and stamped power of attorney by the applicant(s);
- A copy of the amendments (if any);
- Priority documents (if any).
- Other required documents.
The official language acceptable during the patent registration process is Georgian.
The applicant needs to provide a translation of the documents in Georgian within 2 months from the filing date for the required documents.
The certified copy of the priority document must be provided to the Georgian PTO within three months from the filing date.
Novelty grace period
The novelty grace period in Georgia is 12 months from the filing date.
This means that if the invention is disclosed publicly within 12 months from the filing date, either by the inventor themselves or their successor, a third party, directly or indirectly, the patent application will still be considered valid in Georgia.
The procedure of patent registration in Georgia
To obtain a patent in Georgia, the applicant needs to file their patent application to the IP Office of Georgia.
The application will then undergo a formality examination that usually lasts 2-3 months to check if the application complies with the regulations of the law.
If the invention meets the patent-capability requirements, a positive patent decision is made.
After 2 months from the decision date, the substantive examination request must be submitted to the IP Office.
After the full payment of fees for all the necessary steps in the patent registration process, the patent will be granted to the applicant.
The official fees for maintaining patent in force in Georgia starting from the 3rd year must be paid within two months from the issuance of the decision to grant a patent in Georgia.
You can see a list of Georgia IP Firms here.