Validation of European patents will be possible in Georgia

The European Patent Office (EPO) has announced that Georgia to be included in a European patent (EP) application as a Validation State. Georgia will not be a member of the EPC, nor a so-called extension state, but it will be possible to validate European patent applications and patents in Georgia. European patents validated in Georgia will have the same legal effect as Georgian patents.

This agreement enters into force on 15 January 2024. From that date it will be possible to validate European patent applications and patents in Georgia, where, after validation, they will confer essentially the same protection as patents granted by the EPO for the now 39 member states of the European Patent Organisation.

However, it is not available for applications filed prior to that date, or for any European patents resulting from such applications. To add Georgia to the EP application as a Validation State, a validation fee must be paid at the same time as the designation fees.  

If you are considering validating your European Patent application and you want to save money, we recommend choosing one of our online services, where the fees are the lowest in the market. As an example, one of our services offers a 9-country package for €590.