A Regional Trademark Strategy for the Georgian Holder
International practice knows regional registration systems — one application granting protection across an entire region — but these are non-Georgian regimes. For a Georgian holder, regional coverage flows in reality from a single Madrid international registration, and the legal levers of this route are written into Georgian law: the single international application through Sakpatenti (Article 39), the sequencing of priority (Article 11), the renewal cycle (Article 20), and the national fallback that de-risks dependence on one registration (Article 44). This page explains all four levers together as parts of one strategy.
One Application — Many Jurisdictions: Article 39
Under Article 39, an application for international registration must, in accordance with the procedure established by the Madrid Protocol, be filed with Sakpatenti, and the application must be accompanied by a translation of the classification-grouped list of goods into English. Strategically this means that from a single Georgian base influence extends to many states: each designation no longer costs a separate national filing, while management — changes, renewals, disputes — rests on one international registration. The English translation of the goods list is therefore a strategic document: its precision defines the scope of protection in every designated country.
Sequencing — Priority, Article 11
Sequencing in the strategy is created by the rules of priority: a mark's priority is established by the filing date at Sakpatenti, provided the formal-examination fee is paid within no later than 15 calendar days of filing. Convention priority carries the first filing date for 6 months, exhibition priority works within the same period from the first day of display, and the two terms do not extend each other. You have one month to notify and 3 months to submit the confirming documents; different goods may even carry different priorities. Properly planned sequencing means that the first filing — in Georgia or another convention state — gives the entire subsequent regional expansion its reference date.
The Life Cycle — Renewal, Article 20
An international registration is a living asset, and its life depends on the discipline of renewal. The Georgian registration term is 10 years, counted from the registration date, and may be renewed for each subsequent 10-year period without limitation on the number of renewals. The application and fee are processed during the final year of the term; if missed, the holder may pay the fee within 6 months of expiry, and beyond that window the registration is void from the date of expiry, without a right of restoration. For a regional strategy this is the central rule: a late renewal wipes out the entire regional coverage at once — the renewal calendar is therefore part of the strategy, not a technical detail.
The Safety Net — Transformation, Article 44
The known risk of the Madrid system is cancellation of the international registration together with its base. Article 44 reduces this risk: on the basis of a cancelled international registration, together with the national application, the applicant must submit a document certified by the International Bureau of the World Intellectual Property Organization confirming that the international registration extended to Georgia before cancellation. If, by the day the national application is filed, a decision to grant protection has already been adopted, no substantive examination is conducted; and if protection had been granted by the day of cancellation, only a formal examination follows and the mark is registered directly in the register. This is the strategic fallback: even if the unified international registration collapses, protection continues at the national level.
Dates drive this strategy: priority is set by the filing date at Sakpatenti if the formal-examination fee is paid within 15 calendar days of filing, and convention priority by the date of the first application in a Paris Convention state if no more than 6 months have passed; the registration lasts 10 years and is renewable for each subsequent 10-year period without limit.
Frequently Asked Questions
Below we answer the questions most frequently raised about a regional trademark strategy.
How do I achieve regional coverage as a Georgian holder?
Through a single Madrid international application, beginning at Sakpatenti with an English goods list and designating the states of the region; regional systems are separate non-Georgian regimes.
Why is priority strategic?
Because the first filing date gives every subsequent application precedence within 6 months — properly planned sequencing means no one overtakes you in the region.
When must the registration be renewed?
The term is 10 years, renewable for every subsequent 10 years; the application and fee are processed in the final year — or within 6 months after expiry, failing which the registration is gone without restoration.
What happens if the international registration is cancelled?
Article 44 provides the fallback: a national application with the Bureau's certified document, and where protection existed, a procedure limited to the formal examination.
How We Help on Legal.ge
A regional strategy means managing four levers simultaneously — the application, priority, renewal and the fallback. The specialists at Legal.ge build this strategy on Articles 39, 11, 20 and 44 of the law: we help with the translation of the goods list, the priority calendar and renewal control. Contact us through the Legal.ge form.