On 29 June, the CARIFORUM Intellectual Property Rights and Innovation (CarIPI) team met with the Jamaica Intellectual Property Office (JIPO) to discuss mentorship programme interventions with some of the identified producer groups of Jamaica (honey; castor oil), with a view to define the best programme strategy for each producer group.
On 16 June, the CarIPI team met with the Service for Industrial Property of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry in Haiti to discuss the main features and the methodology followed to develop the GI model law, with a view to tailor the technical assistance to Haiti in developing a GI legislation. Further discussions then revolved around future interventions targeting Haitian origin-linked products under the CarIPI mentorship programme.
On 12-13 October 2022, ARISE+ IPR organised a workshop on managing and protecting geographical indications (GIs) once they have been registered. GIs are valuable tools that can be used to boost the economic development of a region, create value for local communities, support rural development, contribute to job creation, and more. Not only is it crucial to register GIs, but it is also important to efficiently manage and protect them to ensure getting the maximum benefit from the GIs, which in turn contributes to the economic growth of communities.
In recent years, strong economic growth has resulted in an increase in the number of geographical indications (GIs) registered in ASEAN countries. From June to December 2022, ARISE+ IPR and ASEAN intellectual property (IP) offices from LDCs will create promotional videos to highlight the benefits of geographical indication (GI) registration and protection, and to promote registered GIs in these countries. These videos will be in local languages with English subtitles in order to promote these GIs nationally and internationally.
In an effort to continue strengthening an intellectual property rights (IPRs) environment in the Caribbean that fosters innovation, trade and investment in Cuba, CarIPI (CARIFORUM Intellectual Property Rights and Innovation project) has released a new practical guide in Spanish on the Madrid Protocol.
In 2022, AfrIPI carried out a twofold action to help set-up and develop Collective Management Organisations (CMOs) for literary and artistic works in Member States of the African Regional Intellectual Property Organization (ARIPO).
This activity had the primary objective to provide legal and technical assistance to the set-up and development of CMOs for literary and artistic works in ARIPO Member States.
Related publications:
The Banjul Protocol provides a centralised trade mark registration procedure. Applications for trade mark registrations may be submitted either to the African Regional Intellectual Property Organization (ARIPO) or the Intellectual Property office of a Member State. Trade mark applications submitted to ARIPO are examined by ARIPO examiners and are granted regionally. They are effective in the designated Member States and have the enforceability of national law.