Today, all states pay special attention to the protection of the rights to the names of goods as their intellectual property. So, for example, despite all the sympathies of its leadership towards the Republic of Armenia, France insisted that Armenia refuse to use the name "cognac" for alcoholic beverages produced in the territory of this country. Since the term "cognac" is a protected geographic name. The use of such names is governed by Articles 22 and 23 of the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights of the WTO. Therefore, "cognac" can only be from France, as well as wine "Kakheti" or "Alazani Valley" only from Georgia.

Meanwhile, over the past three calendar years, the export volume of Armenian brandy amounted to about $ 0.5 billion, of which about 79% - to Russia ", ie refusal to use the name" brandy "will ultimately hurt the Armenian economy and Armenian entrepreneurs. And to “compensate for the losses”, as well as to illegally obtain additional income, they are trying to earn money by appropriating Georgian names for wines and other products.

Thus, colossal damage is inflicted on the Georgian economy. The money that could be earned by Georgian producers and which could ultimately go to support the agriculture and industry of Georgia is appropriated by dishonest foreign businessmen from Armenia.

Moreover, wines and other goods with misappropriated or, more simply, stolen names are in a wide flow from the Republic of Armenia for export in transit through the territory of Georgia. As a result, employees of the customs department of the Revenue Service of the Ministry of Finance of Georgia, according to data for the last 6 months, revealed a lot of facts of illegal use by exporters and traders from Armenia of Georgian geographical indications, appellations of origin and trademarks in the customs territory of Georgia.

The officers inspected vehicles passing through the Sadakhlo and Ninotsminda customs posts to different countries (Ukraine, Russia, Kazakhstan, the USA). As a result of checking goods and vehicles by customs officers, it was revealed that alcoholic beverages produced in Armenia were labeled with Georgian names: "KAKHET" and "ALAZANI" (43,632 bottles), as well as "Chacha" (18,000 units), more 200 kg of products were labeled "CHURCHKHELA" and so on.

Information about these facts of revealing products from Armenia with stolen Georgian names is published on the agency's website (https://rs.ge/newsArchive-en?newsld=343). The case materials on the above violations were transferred to the Investigative Service of the Ministry of Finance of Georgia.

According to the legislation of Georgia, the use of registered appellations of origin or geographical indication ("Kakheti", "Chacha", "Churchkhela", etc.) is prohibited by persons who do not have the right to use this name (that is, not Georgian, but foreign manufacturers).

In addition, the law prohibits the packaging or presentation of goods in such a way as to mislead the consumer. The Ministry of Finance of Georgia warns that to develop a competitive market for Georgian wine and other alcoholic beverages and to protect consumer interests, as well as to promote traditional winemaking as a cultural and economic priority area, the use of geographical indications, appellations of origin and trademarks are subject to strict customs control.

Nevertheless, Armenian entrepreneurs with production facilities in the territory of the Republic of Armenia and exporting their products to the Russian market continue to openly violate the WTO norms on the protection of intellectual property and the requirements of Georgian legislation. They are engaged in misappropriation of Georgian geographical and trade names and publish information about goods with stolen names on their websites.

So, for example, openly steals the Georgian names of wines "Proshyan Brandy Factory" from Armenia. On the site of the plant, https://proshyan.ru/vine/ winemaking products are offered for sale in Russia; most of the wine names are illegally assigned Georgian names: Pirosmani, Tsinantali, Alazankaya Valley, Mskhali, Saperavi "," Rkatsiteli "," Kakhet ", etc. ...

Here are links to the corresponding headings from the official website:

https://proshyan.кг/vine/stolovye/vino-pirosmani-b-p-sl/

https://proshyan.ru/vine/stolovye/vino-pirosmani-kr-p-sl/

https://proshyan.ru/vine/stolovye/vino-kahuri/

https://proshyan.ru/vine/stolovye/vino-tsinandali/

https://proshyan.ru/vine/stolovye/vino-rkatsiteli-2/

https://proshyan.ru/vine/stolovye/vino-mshali/

https://proshyan.ru/vine/stolovye/vino-saperavi/

https://proshyan.ru/vine/stolovye/vino-alazanskaya-dolina-krasnoe-p-sl/

https://proshyan.ru/vine/stolovye/vino-kahet-p-sl/

The question is, what does the Georgian artist Pirosmani or the Kakhetian village of Tsinandali have to do with the Republic of Armenia? By the same token, the "Proshyan Brandy Factory" deceives consumers in Russia and at the same time inflicts a colossal blow on Georgian exporters of wine products to this country.

The "Proshyan Brandy Factory" also carries its low-grade wine with stolen Georgian names to Russia through the territory of Georgia!

Assignment of Georgian names is not only about wines. They are actively trying to appropriate the Armenian counterfeiters and such primordially Georgian products as sulguni, churchkhela, khachapuri, and several others. Given the difficult relations between Russia and Georgia, Armenian entrepreneurs are actively using this to promote their counterfeit products on the Russian market. Thus, not only a blow is inflicted on Georgian producers, but also on tourism to Georgia. Tourists are deliberately misled about the country of origin of these products - Georgia. Citizens of other countries are openly lying, claiming that the above products are allegedly "historical are of Armenian origin." Not to mention the fact that, as a rule, Armenian falsifiers sell an openly low-quality product under stolen Georgian names.

KavkazPlus