From 17 to 21 October 2022, four examiners from the African Organization of Intellectual Property (OAPI) will attend a five-day study visit at the European Patent Office (EPO). The course, organised by EPO in cooperation with AfrIPI, is part of an extensive competency-based training programme which began in August 2021 and was customised especially for the OAPI. The programme itself includes a blend of onsite and virtual classroom training, online courses, and on-the-job coaching.

On 16 November, CarIPI collaborated with the European Commission (TAIEX), the Community Plant Variety Office (CPVO) and the Commerce and Intellectual Property Office (CIPO) of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines to host a regional workshop.

In the framework of the 3rd annual work plan, the EU-Georgia Intellectual Property Project (EUGIPP) supported the National Intellectual Property Center of Georgia (Sakpatenti) in compiling a list of decisions on trade marks, designs, copyright and IP enforcement, taken by the Court of Justice of the European Union, the General Court, and the EUIPO Boards of Appeal (BoA).

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 trade mark 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.

On 25 October 2022, the Africa IP SME Helpdesk is organizing a webinar titled “Doing business in Ghana: IP tips for market access”.

Ghana’s dynamic economy is proving an attractive option for foreign businesses and investors. Recently, IP laws have been put in place that are aligned with international best practices.

On 25 October, the CARIFORUM Intellectual Property Rights and Innovation (CarIPI) project hosted the IV Sub-PSC in Castries, Saint Lucia.

The objective of this conference in hybrid format is to highlight the socio-economic importance of intellectual property rights (IPR) for innovation and economic development based on studies carried out in the EU and in Latin America.

On 19 October, CarIPI, oriGIn and the West Indies Rum & Spirits Producers’ Association Inc. (WIRSPA) joined forces to organise the ‘International Online Forum on Spirits GIs: Trends and Opportunities of Cooperation’.