What this means in practice
Consumer Deception in Georgia: Criminal-law guidance for consumer deception, falsified or dangerous goods, food, medicines, cosmetics and product-quality investigations in Georgia.
Regulatory non-compliance and crime are different
A product complaint, recall or labelling problem may engage regulatory, civil, IP and criminal routes. Composition, knowledge, supply-chain role, scale and harm must be tested separately.
For Consumer Deception, the early priority is to separate product, consumer, IP, licensing and criminal issues. The first evidence review should include samples, batch and laboratory records and should be completed before assumptions harden into the case narrative.
Issues to assess early
Separate product, consumer, IP, licensing and criminal issues
Preserve representative samples and the complete supply chain
Identify manufacturer, importer, distributor, retailer and manager roles
Test composition, labelling, knowledge, quantity and alleged harm
Evidence that may matter
Evidence must be examined in context. Existence of a document, transfer, message or device artefact does not answer every question about authorship, knowledge, purpose, legality, completeness or reliability.
- Samples, batch and laboratory records
- Labels, packaging and marketing material
- Supplier, customs and distribution files
- Complaints, recalls and safety records
- Technical, medical and accounting expertise
Potential Criminal Code provisions
The provisions below are a focused research map for consumer deception, not a statement that any person has committed an offence. Each element, part, threshold and aggravating circumstance must be checked against the current Georgian text and the actual evidence.
Hazardous products
May apply to manufacture, import or sale of products hazardous to life or health, or unlawful labelling; representative testing and supply-chain role are central.
Read full Article 198 text on this pageIllegal transportation or sale of forged goods
Requires proof that the goods were forged, that the accused transported or sold them and that the person knew their character.
Read full Article 197¹ text on this pageUnlawful use of a trade or service mark
Not every infringement is criminal: the protected right, accused use, repetition or substantial damage and each participant's knowledge must be assessed.
Read full Article 196 text on this pageAn investigation may start under one article and later be narrowed, expanded or reclassified. New evidence, expert conclusions, the legally assessed consequence, a defence application, prosecutorial review or a court ruling may support a different provision, part or aggravating circumstance. The Georgian consolidated text controls; an English translation may lag.
Read the relevant provisions before the external source
The operative English text below is reproduced from the official consolidated Criminal Code of Georgia, publication 296, accessed 9 August 2026. Formatting has been normalised for on-screen reading; the current Georgian-language consolidated text controls if wording or timing differs.
Article 198Manufacturing, import or sale of products hazardous to human life or health+
1. Manufacturing, import or sale of products hazardous to human life or health, or illegal usage of labels on such products, –
shall be punished by a fine or corrective labour for up to three years, by house arrest for a term of six months to two years, or by imprisonment for a term of three to five years.
2. The same act that has endangered human life or health, –
shall be punished by imprisonment for a term of five to eight years.
The same act that has caused human’s death or other grave consequences, –
shall be punished by imprisonment for a term of eight to twelve years.
Open Article 198 in the official consolidated Criminal Code↗︎Article 197¹Illegal transportation or sale of forged goods+
Illegal transportation or sale knowingly of the forged goods, –
shall be punished by a fine or corrective labour for up to two years, house arrest for a term of six months to two years, or by imprisonment for up to two years.
Open Article 197¹ in the official consolidated Criminal Code↗︎Article 196Unlawful use of trade (service) marks or other commercial designations+
1. Illegal manufacturing or use of another person’s trade (service) marks, designations of origin or geographical indications in large quantities, as well as production or introduction into civil circulation of goods illegally marked with another person’s trade (service) marks, designation of origin or geographical indications or with the registered brand name, which has resulted in considerable damage, –
shall be punished by a fine or corrective labour for up to two years or by imprisonment for the same term.
2. False indication of a warning mark along with a non-registered trade (service) mark, designation of origin or geographical indication, –
shall be punished by a fine or community service from 120 to 180 hours and/or by corrective labour for up to one year or by imprisonment for a term of two to three years.
3. The act provided for by paragraph 1 or 2 of this article which has been committed:
a) repeatedly;
b) by a person convicted for this kind of offence;
c) by a group of persons with the preliminary agreement, –
shall be punished by a fine or by imprisonment for a term of three to five years.
Note: The illegal manufacturing of another person’s trade (service) mark, designation of origin or geographical indication of goods is considered to be in large quantities if their total quantity is over 1 000, and an offence shall be deemed to have resulted in considerable damage if the cost of the goods manufactured or introduced into civil circulation and illegally marked with another person’s trade (service) marks, designation of origin, geographical indication or registered brand name exceeds GEL 5 000.
Open Article 196 in the official consolidated Criminal Code↗︎How Georgian criminal law frames Consumer Deception
A useful legal analysis does not begin and end with the name of an offence. It identifies what must be proved, what remains disputed and which neighbouring legal route may better fit the established facts.
What must the evidence establish?
The case should be tested for product identity and composition, prohibited manufacture or movement, knowledge, danger or threshold and each supplier's individual role. A complaint, financial loss, injury, seized object or digital trace may justify investigation, but does not by itself prove every element.
Where is the legal boundary?
The material must distinguish a criminal product offence from ordinary non-conformity, a recall, civil liability, trademark infringement or supply-chain error. Attempt, assistance, group activity, repetition and legally defined consequences may also alter the applicable article or part.
What evidence needs independent testing?
Priority material commonly includes representative sealed samples, accredited testing, batch and traceability records, labels, import files, invoices and complaints. Reliability depends on lawful collection, completeness, provenance, authorship, chain of custody and a method capable of being challenged.
In a Consumer Deception matter, a complaint or failed test may trigger criminal scrutiny before representative sampling, composition, labelling, supply-chain roles, knowledge and actual harm are verified.
The immediate decision is how to protect the record and prepare for product hold and sampling without prejudicing the client’s procedural position. This is a fictional example for orientation, not a report of a client matter or an assumption of guilt.
How the process may develop
Not every matter reaches every stage, and several steps can overlap. Arrest, search, seizure, charging, restraint measures and court review each have their own legal basis. Current deadlines should be verified against the consolidated Criminal Procedure Code and the specific decision served in the case.
How defence counsel can assist
Criminal defence counsel can clarify status and rights, attend permitted investigative actions, review prosecution evidence, obtain lawful defence evidence, prepare motions and submissions, represent the client at restraint and trial hearings, negotiate only where instructed and appropriate, and coordinate appeals or international work.
An investigation or charge is not a conviction. Only a court may find a person guilty, and defence rights must remain practical and effective throughout the proceedings.
Frequently asked questions
Does Article 198 — Hazardous products — automatically apply to Consumer Deception?+
For Consumer Deception, Article 198, Article 197¹, Article 196 may provide a starting point, but a page title is not a legal qualification. Investigators and prosecutors must match proved facts to every element, part and aggravating circumstance. The qualification may be narrowed, expanded or changed after expert results, new evidence, a defence motion, prosecutorial review or a court decision. May apply to manufacture, import or sale of products hazardous to life or health, or unlawful labelling; representative testing and supply-chain role are central.
Which factual boundary is decisive in a Consumer Deception case?+
In a Consumer Deception case, the evidence must distinguish a criminal product offence from ordinary non-conformity, a recall, civil liability, trademark infringement or supply-chain error. That boundary is tested through the person's individual conduct, knowledge or intent, the legally classified consequence and every circumstance relied upon to move the allegation into a different article or aggravated part.
What evidence can prove—or undermine—the allegation of Consumer Deception?+
The focused record for Consumer Deception is not the same as for every offence. Priority material includes representative sealed samples, accredited testing, batch and traceability records, labels, import files, invoices and complaints. The defence should test provenance, completeness, authorship, lawful collection, chain of custody and whether each item proves the disputed element rather than merely repeating the accusation.
Can the article or charge for Consumer Deception change after the investigation starts?+
Yes. For Consumer Deception, Article 198, Article 197¹, Article 196 may be a starting map, but expert results, quantity or value, injury classification, individual role, attempt or participation, a defence application, prosecutorial review or a court decision may support a different article, part or legal outcome.
What should be preserved immediately in a Consumer Deception matter?+
In a Consumer Deception matter, preserve the original chronology, procedural records and the topic-specific material before routine loss or alteration. Early advice is important because stock can be withdrawn, mixed or destroyed and online sales data can disappear; preservation must be lawful and must not involve hiding, changing or coordinating evidence.
Primary sources for this guide
Legislation can change and official English translations may lag the Georgian text. Check the current consolidated version and obtain advice before relying on a deadline, offence classification or remedy.
Criminal Procedure Code of Georgia↗︎Criminal Code of Georgia↗︎Constitution of Georgia↗︎