On 1 July 2022, the National Intellectual Property Center – Sakpatenti and the EUGIPP will hold a round-table discussion on the forthcoming steps of the ‘Creativity and IP in Georgian schools’ activity.
On 6 June 2022, the EU Georgia Intellectual Property project (EUGIPP) and Sakpatenti (the National Intellectual Property Center of Georgia) will organise another stakeholder consultation to discuss the draft guidelines and law amendments related to IP rights enforcement practices. This capacity-building event will target representatives from relevant enforcement state authorities.
AfrIPI created a pan-African case-law database on intellectual property rights (IPRs) in the first Annual Work Plan (AWP) in 2021. This year, the second AWP will focus on maintaining the tool and continuously uploading new case-law for different IPRs.
In order to do so, AfrIPI will set up a network of judges. A judges’ colloquium was set up in the first AWP for French-speaking countries. In the second AWP, we will address English-speaking countries.
According to the OECD-EUIPO report on Mapping the Real Routes of Trade in Fake Goods, African countries are a key destination for counterfeit goods such as pharmaceuticals, foods and beverages. Being one of the top three economies in Africa, Nigeria is also vulnerable to counterfeiting activities. As a result, there is significant public interest and concern about it.
A geographical indication (GI) is a distinctive sign used to identify a product whose quality, reputation or other characteristics are related to its geographical origin. Some globally renowned GIs are Champagne (France), Feta Cheese (Greece), Thai Silk, and Penja Pepper (Cameroon). However, one aspect that challenges the success of GIs, beyond producers’ technical capacities, is the lack of awareness of all interested stakeholders.
On 17 May 2022, the Africa IP SME Helpdesk is organising the webinar, ‘Protecting your IPR in Kenya’. During the webinar Marius Schneider and Nora Ho Tu Nam from the boutique firm IPvocateAfrica will provide entrepreneurs wishing to do business in Kenya with an overview on how to effectively protect their intellectual property rights.