The African Regional Intellectual Property Organisation (ARIPO) ad hoc working group on Geographical Indications (GIs) was held online on 22 March 2022 in Harare, Zimbabwe.

This meeting was the first in its series. It aimed to reset the scene and create a subgroup of the ad hoc working group on GIs to achieve the expected results and present them at the next Administrative Council.

World Intellectual Property Day is celebrated every 26 April to increase intellectual property (IP) awareness. World IP Day is an opportunity to highlight the role that IP rights (patents, utility models, industrial designs, trade marks, and copyright) play in encouraging innovation and creativity.

On 10 March 2022, CarIPI hosted an online on-the-job training session to further strengthening the technical capacities and skills of the examiners in the Jamaican IP office (JIPO) regarding the implementation of Madrid System Operations. The training session focused on the role of the IP office as an Office of Origin and as the Office of a Designated Contracting Party within the context of the Madrid system.

On 2 March 2022, Sakpatenti officials, supported by EUGIPP, will meet with specialists on IP and innovation to launch the development of IP pre-diagnostic (IP Scan) specifically designed for Georgian SMEs.

IP pre-diagnostics are one of the key elements in building an IP strategy. This activity will provide training in how to assess the requirements of an SME in terms of intellectual property rights (IPRs).

The EU-Africa Business Forum (EABF) provides a platform for interaction between European Union (EU) businesses and key African policymakers and between EU and African business leaders. The interaction aims to improve trade and investment in Africa to mutually benefit European and African businesses and economies.

On 17 and 18 February 2022, the Intellectual Property Rights and Innovation Project in Africa (AfrIPI), in partnership with the Africa International Trade and Commerce Research (AITCR) and the IP First Group, hosted The National Conference on Creating Legal and Institutional Frameworks for Geographical Indications. The conference was in Nigeria at the Hilton-Transcorp in Abuja.

This conference was a groundbreaking event, paving the way for national legislation on geographical indications (GIs). Why is this so necessary?