ARIPO Continues To Build Member State IP Capacities 02/12/2015 by Hillary Muheebwa for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Share this:Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)Click to print (Opens in new window)The African Regional Intellectual Property Organization (ARIPO) recently held two top organ meetings in Lusaka, Zambia, to debate the organisation’s strategic plan for 2016-2020. The 39th Session of ARIPO Administrative Council took place between 16-18 November, followed by the 15th Session of ARIPO Council of Ministers, between 19-20 November. Administrative Council The Administrative Council was opened by Margaret Mwanakatwe, Zambia’s Minister of Commerce, Trade and Industry. ARIPO Administrative Council. Seated central is Minister Mwanakatwe. On her left is the Outgoing Chairman. On her right is Incoming Chairman. In her address to the participants, Mwanakatwe said that, “today, intellectual property has evolved into a strategic policy instrument for stimulating economic growth and securing sustainable development. Increasingly, economic trends indicate that a nation’s ability to generate wealth and protect its cultural heritage depends on its adoption and use of the intellectual property system.” Bemanya Twebaze, who is also the registrar general of Uganda Registration Services Bureau, (URSB), handed over the chairmanship to Anthony Bwembya, the registrar and chief executive officer, Patents and Companies Registration Agency, (PACRA), Zambia. The current ARIPO Director-General, Fernando dos Santos, was re-elected unopposed for a second four-year term. Twebaze pointed out that during the years 2014 and 2015, the ARIPO Secretariat has more than ever before been present in member states through “roving seminars.” “These roving seminars offered an opportunity for capacity-building of national IP offices, especially on the filing of applications using the ARIPO route,” added Twebaze. Eleven member states benefitted from this initiative, which engaged 1400 participants. The Administrative Council constitutes heads of offices entrusted with dealing with intellectual property matters of the ARIPO member states. It meets at least once a year in ordinary session. According to the Report by the Director General on the 2015 Activities, to the Administrative Council, “The main highlight for the year 2015 is the entry into force on May 11, of the Swakopmund Protocol for the protection of traditional knowledge and expressions of folklore.” The protocol aims to protect the overall traditional knowledge and folklore of Africa and to ensure that same is properly utilised for the welfare of her people. “Another important milestone was the successful conclusion of the Diplomatic Conference for the adoption of the Draft ARIPO Protocol for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants which was held in Arusha, Tanzania on July 6, 2015,” adds the report. The new ARIPO Protocol on the protection of new varieties of Plants is known as the “Arusha Protocol” and aims to enhance agricultural productivity, innovation and development in the member states of the organisation. The thirty-eighth session of the Administrative Council also adopted the draft guidelines for the implementation of the Marrakesh Treaty. However, according to the director general’s report there has been a decrease in the application for patents, trademarks and industrial designs. It states: “As at October 31, 648 patents and 237 trademark applications were lodged. There is a decrease of 6.7% in the number of patent applications lodged and 26% in the number of trademarks lodged compared to same period of 2014. The number of industrial designs lodged is 106 corresponding to a decrease in 20.7% compared to the same period of last year.” A big change was registered in the number of utility models applications which rose to 19, an increase of 137 percent compared to last year. To increase strategic partnership, ARIPO has signed four strategic partnerships this year. These are: The Work plan on Bilateral Cooperation between ARIPO and the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) 2015 – 2020; the Joint Memorandum of Understanding for Bilateral Cooperation between ARIPO and the National Institute of Industrial Property of Brazil (INPI); The Work Plan on Bilateral Cooperation Between ARIPO and African Intellectual property Organization (OAPI) for 2015; and the Plan of Action for the Bilateral Cooperation for the period 2015 – 2016 between ARIPO and the China Intellectual Property Office (SIPO). Council of Ministers Zambia’s Vice President Inonge Wina represented President Edgar Lungu as the guest of honor at the Council of Ministers’ opening ceremony. ARIPO Council of Ministers Director General Fernando dos Santos, Hon Kahinda Otafiire, H E Inonge Wina, and Hon Margaret Mwanakatwe. Zambia’s Minister of Commerce, Trade and Industry, Margaret Mhango Mwanakatwe, was elected chairperson of the Council, taking over from Uganda’s Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, Kahinda Otafiire. The Council of Ministers is the supreme body of ARIPO, responsible for defining, orienting and stewarding the policies of the organisation. It is constituted of ministers of member states. The Council meets at least once every two years. While addressing the council session, Olav Stokkmo, chief executive of International Federation of Reproduction Rights Organisations, (IFRRO), said that “ARIPO plays a crucial role in the development of intellectual property not only in Africa, but also beyond its member states.” He cited the ARIPO-IFRRO collaboration, under a cooperation agreement. It has resulted, among other in an education programme on copyright and collective rights management, which now forms the backbone of the virtual learning module that the WIPO Academy offers on collective management. Joyce Banya, World Intellectual Property Organization senior counsellor, Regional Bureau for Africa, represented the director general. In her speech, she reiterated “WIPO’s commitment under the leadership of Mr. Gurry to continue promoting the use of IP as a tool for development as well IP awareness raising at the highest policy level in Africa.” “We must continue to rely and work with our longstanding, strategic partners, which are ARIPO and OAPI (the French-speaking African IP Organization) as well as Regional Economic Communities,” said Banya. “Together we shall develop National or Regional IP strategies which are coherent, effective with concrete deliverables in line with the national development plans of our member states.” ARIPO has 19 member states spread among English-speaking African countries. Image Credits: URSB Share this:Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)Click to print (Opens in new window) Related Hillary Muheebwa may be reached at info@ip-watch.ch."ARIPO Continues To Build Member State IP Capacities" by Intellectual Property Watch is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.