In this session participants will learn about the impacts of implementing a GI strategy for OLPs. The first part of the session covers a recap the potential value of OLPs for producer groups and the importance of implementing a strategy for their protection and commercialisation using relevant IP tools.
Existence of a previous trade mark: In some cases, previous trade marks that have been registered in good faith can prove a challenge to the recognition of a Geographical Indication identical to the pre-existing trade mark.
The Caribbean Week of Agriculture (CWA) is the premier event on the regional agricultural calendar. It provides a forum for the key decision-makers in the region’s public and private sectors to better acknowledge the importance of agriculture and rural life for the region’s economic, social and environmental stability.
On 20-21 October 2021, carIPI, in collaboration with the CCJ Academy for Law, hosted two training sessions on the interrelation between trade marks and geographical indications to enhance the capacities of legal members of the judiciary in emerging areas of law relevant to the Caribbean region. Almost all the CARIFORUM States have put in place sui generis GI laws but, so far, there have been no major GI-related disputes in the courts.
On 20 September 2021, CarIPI and the Caribbean Export Development Agency (CEDA) jointly hosted a regional workshop to provide technical support in the area of international trade mark registration to selected companies led by women under CEDA’s WE-Xport programme.
The event was in the form of panel presentations, with time allocated for questions, and a 30-minute business coaching session.
On 15 September 2021, CarIPI organised a regional workshop to present and discuss the results of the questionnaires received from the CARIFORUM IP offices based on the Common Practice of European Union Intellectual Property Network (EUIPN) on Graphic Representation of Designs – CP6.
As of 13 September 2021, the Belize Intellectual Property Office (BELIPO) will use and accept the list of terms from the harmonised database of goods and services (HDB) in TMclass.
Following BELIPO’s decision to use the HDB, there are now 18 IP offices outside the EU that use and accept terms from this database.
The inclusion of BELIPO in TMclass brings the total number of participating national and regional IP offices, including ARIPO, OAPI, WIPO and the EUIPO, to 87.
On 29 September CarIPI participated in a webinar organised by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) in cooperation with the Jamaica Intellectual Property Office (JIPO) of the Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce to provide practical information on the Hague System’s benefits.
On 28 September CarIPI hosted a webinar in collaboration with CPVO, UPOV and CARICOM Agricultural Division on a Regional Plant Variety System. The aim of the webinar was to increase awareness of the importance of plant variety protection to promote plant breeding activities in the region. The need for efficient systems for granting registration of plant variety rights was also addressed.