Irakli Shamatava (2026). "Europeanization of Intellectual Property Enforcement beyond EU Membership: The Georgian Experience after the Association Agreement". L'EUROPE UNIE, 24/2026

Europeanization of Intellectual Property Enforcement beyond EU Membership: The Georgian Experience after the Association Agreement Dr. Irakli Shamatava[1] Professor at International Black Sea University, Tbilisi, Georgia Abstract Georgia’s post-Association reforms in intellectual property law raise a practical question: whether approximation to EU standards has produced enforceable remedies or only formal legislative alignment. This article addresses that question through the example of intellectual property enforcement after the EU–Georgia Association Agreement. It analyses reforms in patent law, design and trademark protection, copyright and related rights, and the civil-procedure mechanisms designed for intellectual property disputes. Particular attention is given to the preservation of evidence, access to information, provisional measures, online infringements, judicial practice, and the European Commission’s 2025 Georgia Report, which records no progress in enforcement. The article argues that Georgia has built a substantial normative basis for Europeanized intellectual property enforcement. Yet the effectiveness of that framework depends on consistent judicial and administrative practice, institutional capacity, specialised expertise, and remedies that are practically accessible to rights holders. Keywords: Association Agreement, Enforcement, Europeanization, Intellectual Property, Legal Approximation. [1] Irakli Shamatava is Doctor of Law; Affiliated Associate Professor at Caucasus University; Visiting Professor at Batumi Shota Rustaveli State University; Full Professor at International Black Sea University; Editor-in-Chief of the scientific journal Caucasus Law Journal; Attorney specialising in civil and administrative law; Member of the Georgian Copyright Association and the Georgian Bar Association. Tbilisi, Georgia. E-mail: [email protected] ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0009-0009-2626-9984. Shamatava, Irakli - Web of Science Researcher Profile Web of Science ResearcherIDFYC-9950-2022. Scopus Author ID: 57223876696. ‪Irakli Shamatava - ‪Google Scholar. ResearchGate Irakli Shamatava .