A new edition of the annual Regional Workshop on IPR Enforcement took place online on 29 April 2021. ARISE+ IPR organised the event to promote the fight against counterfeiting, especially during the COVID 19 pandemic. It also provided a platform to share best practices from the European Union in this field, as well as to share the awareness-raising campaigns on IPR enforcement in general.

Counterfeiting and piracy are growing phenomena worldwide, and also the Caribbean region is a destiny of such goods. Some products, such as counterfeited health care products and medicines can be dangerous for consumers. CarIPI is supporting the IP Enforcement webinar organized by the Jamaica IP Office (JIPO).

CarIPI and the Jamaica IP Office (JIPO) collaborate on the implementation of a webinar targeting micro, small and medium sized enterprises (MSMEs). Speakers from the public and private sectors of Jamaica and the EU will discuss the challenges and best practices when it comes to use intellectual property tools to take ideas to market. Speakers include Mr. Oral Shaw, Principal Director, MSME Division, MIIC, Miss Simara Howell, Executive Director, JMEA, Mrs. Michelle Chong, Founder and Board Chairman, The Honey Bun Foundation, Ms.

CarIPI collaborates with CARIFORUM IP Offices and supports the activities they undertake on World IP Day. The theme this year is IP & SMEs: Taking your ideas to market

The different national IP Offices are organizing a variety of interesting activities. We invite you to check them out and participate!

The EU-Georgia Intellectual Property Project (EUGIPP) has been supporting the National Intellectual Property Center of Georgia (Sakpatenti) to develop examination guidelines for national and international design applications. IP experts spent several months working in close collaboration with lawyers from the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) and Sakpatenti to draft these guidelines.

The Continental Strategy for GIs in Africa (2018- 2023) highlights the importance of the development and registration of GI products as pilots and drivers for rural and sustainable development to provide learning and demonstrative effects.

Having adequate legal frameworks in place is essential for protecting Geographical Indications (GIs). In view of the need of further-fine tuning and harmonisation of national and regional GI legislation in Africa, AfrIPI will provide technical assistance to identify gaps in existing GI legislation in targeted African countries/ regions, and issue recommendations for addressing these gaps. It will also assist to strengthen an effective institutional environment as regards GI protection.

Small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) are important drivers of growth in economies across Sub-Saharan Africa, accounting for up to 90 % of all businesses in these markets. Intellectual property represents a valuable tool for SMEs to remain competitive on the global market.

Expanding knowledge on IP in Africa is essential to create a strengthened IP network. It contributes to the development of human resources in the field of IP in Africa, creating a critical mass of professionals with the necessary skills to enable them to play a leading role in promoting the teaching, use and protection of intellectual property.

OAPI, in collaboration with WIPO and the University Yaoundé II, has been delivering for several years a very comprehensive master’s programme on IP in Cameroon.

Open access to the IP registers is expected to provide immediate tangible benefits to the users of the IP system in Africa, such as quality, reliability, and access to information. It also generates efficiency gains for IP administrations and frees resources to expand their services. Consequently, the access to IPR protection becomes more affordable in the medium-term (due to more efficient registration processes, easier and faster access to information), which particularly benefits African creators and innovators.