CARIPI

On 10 March 2022, CarIPI hosted an online on-the-job training session to further strengthening the technical capacities and skills of the examiners in the Jamaican IP office (JIPO) regarding the implementation of Madrid System Operations. The training session focused on the role of the IP office as an Office of Origin and as the Office of a Designated Contracting Party within the context of the Madrid system.

From 7 to 14 February, the CARIFORUM Intellectual Property Rights and Innovation (CarIPI) team and a group of mentors met with the first cohort of the Origin Link Product (OLP) mentorship programme. In total, 11 meetings were held with different producer groups from seven CARIFORUM member states: Barbados (1), Belize (1), Dominica (1), Dominican Republic (2), Jamaica (3), Saint Lucia (1) and Trinidad and Tobago (2). A total of 100 producers, intellectual property office (IPO) officials and other value chain stakeholders, including 48 women, participated in these meetings.

On 22-24 March, CARIFORUM Intellectual Property Rights and Innovation (CarIPI) collaborated with WIPO, the University of the West Indies, and the Japan Patent Office, to hold a regional workshop on the role of Innovation and IP in the Blue Economy. Representatives from Business Support Organisations and MSME’s were invited to participate in the in-person event to be held in Barbados.

On 3 March 2022, CarIPI hosted a virtual Consultation Meeting to discuss the study on regional cooperation mechanisms in the field of Industrial Design Law and Practice, previously shared with the CARIFORUM IP Offices.

During 2021, the CarIPI project started to develop a regional GI Manual to serve as a national guide for producers or producer groups, Control Bodies, and CARIFORUM IP Offices. The manual provides guidance regarding the process of developing and implementing codes of practice and controls and registering a Geographical Indication. The draft of the GI Manual was discussed with the interested parties during an online Consultation Meeting on 17 March.

On 21 February, CarIPI organised an online workshop targeted at the 16 CARIFORUM IP Offices to present the Common Practices in Trade Mark Examination. The Practices were aimed at providing guidance for TM applicants and examiners and their use results in increased transparency, certainty, and predictability of the TM examination procedures within the region.

On 27 December 2021, the Government of Jamaica sent WIPO its instrument of accession to the Protocol Relating to the Madrid Agreement, making it the 110th member of the Madrid System. The Madrid Protocol will enter into force for Jamaica on 27 March 2022.

From that date, local brand owners in Jamaica will be able to use the Madrid System to protect their trade marks internationally by filing a single international application and paying a single set of fees.

In an effort to keep strengthening the intellectual property rights (IPR) environment in the Caribbean that fosters innovation, trade and investment in the region, the CarIPI project has just released a new practical guide on the Hague System in Belize.

This booklet, ‘Bringing Belizean Design to the World’ aims to help designers and entrepreneurs in Belize get a clear understanding of the Hague System and its exponential benefits.