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.
On 6 May 2022, AfrIPI took part in the celebration of the Europe Day in Cameroon, which was organised by the European Union Delegation in Yaoundé. The event was chaired by the Cameroon Minister of External Relations – Mbella Mbella Lejeune in the presence of EU Ambassador to Cameroon – H.E. Philippe Van Damme, the Vice-President of the European Investment Bank – Thomas Östros, EU organisations, partners, dignitaries and friends.
The two-day presential Workshop on Designs and Utility Models for the African Regional Intellectual Property Organization (ARIPO) member states was held at the ARIPO Secretariat in Harare, Zimbabwe on 27 and 28 April 2022.
At least 80 participants from the ARIPO member states and observer states (including Angola and South Africa) attended the workshop. The participants represented national IP offices, universities and research and development institutions.
Over the last 20 years, Geographical Indications (GIs) have emerged as a global phenomenon, generating growing interest among producers, consumers, scholars and policymakers. The experience of GIs in Africa shows that they deserve solid national and international protection and are a valuable development tool.
Expanding knowledge on IP in Africa is essential to create a strengthened IP network. It contributes to the development of human resources in the field of IP in Africa, creating a critical mass of professionals with the necessary skills to enable them to play a leading role in promoting the teaching, use and protection of intellectual property.
OAPI, in collaboration with WIPO, the EUIPO and the University Yaoundé II, has for several years been delivering a very comprehensive master’s programme on IP in Cameroon.
In support and appreciation of the production of inventions and institutional innovations for the benefit of enterprises, seminars involving universities, institutes and research centres were organised in the 17 OAPI member countries in three phases.
The African Regional Intellectual Property Organisation (ARIPO) ad hoc working group on geographical indications (GIs) was held online on 22 March 2022 in Harare, Zimbabwe.
This meeting was the first in its series. It aimed to reset the scene and create a subgroup of the ad hoc working group on GIs specifically tasked with achieving the expected results and presenting them at the next Administrative Council.
On 17 March 2022, the European Commission registered Cameroon’s ‘Poivre de Penja’ as the first protected geographical indication (PGI) from the African Intellectual Property Organization (OAPI) region, and the second from Africa.