Report by J. H. Webster Clayeh, [email protected]
Monrovia – The African Regional Intellectual Property Organization (ARIPO) and the Liberia Intellectual Property Office (LIPO) in cooperation with the University of Liberia have organized a two-day Intellectual Property (IP) Roving Seminar for academic and research institutions.
The gathering was held under the theme, “Fostering Creativity and Innovation for Economic Growth and Development in Africa.”
The two-day seminar, which was held in the auditorium of the main campus of the University of Liberia on Capitol Hill, brought together academicians, researchers and artists.
The seminar was intended to enhance intellectual property awareness in academic and research institutions with a view to promoting the creation, protection and utilization of research results using intellectual property tools for the economic and technological development in the member states.
Speaking at the start of the two-day event on Monday, May 7, the General Director of ARIPO, Fernando Dos Santos, said since 2017, they have been partnering with national intellectual property officers, academies and other research institutions conducting seminars on intellectual property.
According to AFIPO General Director, the seminar in Liberia is the second in this year following the one that was held in Zimbabwe in last March and the sixth since they began last year.
After appreciating the President of the University of Liberia, Dr. Ophelia I. Weeks, for agreeing to host the seminar and the Liberia Intellectual Property Office for making the seminar a reality, Mr. Santos disclosed that Liberian inventors and entrepreneurs are yet to take full advantage of the membership of their country’s ARIPO system.
According to him, statistics show that only six Liberian trademarks are protected through the ARIPO.
“This is a matter of great concern for us,” ARIPO General Director expressed.
Santos continued: “It wound also be interesting to assess the contribution of Liberian universities and research institutions into these statistics.”
He disclosed that foreign universities are already using the ARIPO route to protect their accomplishments in the region.
Giving examples, Santos said the University of California has filed 20 patents with ARIPO. He added that three South African universities have filed 45 patents with ARIPO.
Santos asked: “What is the situation with the Liberian universities and research institutions?”
He added: “We have no marks, patents or industrial designs filed by Liberian institutions and we believe we can reverse this situation.”
Santos said, “At ARIPO, we are aware that there are a lot of creativities and innovations going on in the academic and research institutions in Liberia. Yet the benefits of creativity, innovation and inventiveness may not fully be realized or adequately rewarded.”
He blamed it on the lack of awareness of the importance intellectual property protection plays in rewarding and promoting creativity and innovation.
Also speaking, the President of the University of Liberia, Dr. Weeks said being a researcher for nearly four decades, she knows the importance of intellectual property.
Dr. Weeks disclosed that a year back she declined to sign a memorandum of understanding between UL and another institution on giving out UL right to property or finding from its research.
“I refused to sign it because I knew the language and how it could affect the university in the future. And so, it is important that we pay attention to such thing,” the UL President explained.
She further said promoting intellectual property is important at a time when the university has begun to reignite its research institute.
Dr. Weeks: “As we develop our research activities at the university and in other organizations and agencies in Liberia, it is important that we know our rights as far as intellectual property is concerned.”
The Minister of Commerce and Industry, Professor Wilson K. Tarpeh, who formally opened the seminar, assured ARIPO General Director of the government’s effort to increase the work of innovations and creativities in the country.
According to Min. Tarpeh, there is a need to have the right mechanism put in place to further creativities and scientific developers adding that it will ensure that trademark designs, scientific research for development and other intellectual materials are well in place.
Prof. Tarpeh added, “The inclusion of IP service in secondary schools and universities’ curriculums should be a requirement.”
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