On July 9, CarIPI and the West Indies Rum and Spirits Association (WIRSPA) joined forces to host a webinar on the benefits of Geographical Indications (GIs) to the regional rum sector.

The aim of the event was to raise the awareness of regional rum producers on how IP tools such as GIs can be used to protect, brand and promote their products in the market.

The webinar also provided a platform for discussion of how rum producers can use the IP system at the national level to apply a collective strategy for the IP protection and branding of their products.

Strengthening national and regional IP offices is one of the four main pillars of the Intellectual Property Rights and Innovation in Africa (AfrIPI) Project. In accordance with this objective, the AfrIPI Project Management team in collaboration with the Nigerian Trademark Registry is organizing a three-day workshop on absolute grounds, opposition procedure, and geographical indications starting on Wednesday, 16 June to Friday, 18 June 2021.

Among the cluster of Cambodian sea salt farmers in Kampot province in Southern Cambodia, Thaung Enterprise stands out. The sea salt farm has a history since ancient times - the Angkor era. Before 1986, the salt farm was under the control of the state. In 1986, the state offered the ownership to private. The passionate sea salt farm was established then and became a registered private company in 2016.

The AfrIPI project seeks to promote the African IPOs’ awareness of the advantages of the existing international system of IP. Within this framework, three training sessions on the Vienna Classification (VCL) system were given to trade mark examiners in the Ethiopian IP office: the first two sessions (10 & 11 May 2021) focused on giving a general introduction to the VCL.

On 12 July CarIPI held a regional webinar to raise awareness among decision-makers in the CARIFORUM region, and in particular among national EPA Coordinators, on the benefits of the international registrations to facilitate international trade. Speakers from the EU and the CARIFORUM region touched upon the main IPR treaties, such as Madrid, Hague, Lisbon, and UPOV explaining why it is beneficial for the CARIFORUM States to join them. The membership experience from different countries in the region was shared.

On 22 June CarIPI hosted a regional workshop on the classification tool (TMClass) in which the first Caribbean regional interface “Caribbean TM Class” was presented. The occasion also served to share practical knowledge and experience on TMClass with a specific focus on the benefits for IPOs and IP system users, particularly SMEs. Among these benefits, it is clear that a list of accepted terms which are public and clear to all applicants, lead to less errors in the application process and reduce workload for the examiners.

The 3rd edition of the Trademark Awards of the Organisation Africaine de la Propriété Intellectuelle (OAPI) officially kicked off on 13 May 2021 in Douala, Cameroon.

With the support and participation of the Africa Intellectual Property Rights and Innovation Project #AfrIPI, the opening event featured a tailored dinner discussion with business leaders from OAPI member countries. The discussion covered the new opportunities brought about by the Africa Continental Free Trade Area.

On 3 June 2021 we will present the results of the ‘Creativity and IP in Georgian schools’ activity and the lessons learned for the next academic year. During the event, which will officially bring the activity to an end, we will also celebrate the achievements of the students and pupils involved. Representatives of the Georgian Ministry of Education, who have supported the initiative since its inception, will be in attendance.

‘Increasing Non-Oil and Gas Sector Output as a Catalyst for Economic Growth’ is the theme of Brunei Darussalam’s National Development Plan 11, which runs from 2018 to 2023 ([1]).

The previous plan focused on accelerating economic growth and enhancing the human capital’s potential, the current plan goes further and has the following aims: