By Jonathan Mbiriyamveka
The EU is committed to supporting growth and development in Africa and driving forward a changing narrative about Africa that goes beyond the challenges of all continents, Mrs Lourdes Chamorro said.
Mrs Chamorro who represented EU delegation at the ongoing two-day workshop in Harare on Industrial designs and Utility models for African Regional Intellectual Property Organisation (ARIPO), said from a development perspective, the EU’s considered view is that scaled-up innovation is a significant solution to existing challenges.
“Well curated innovation systems that include adequately funded intellectual property offices, universities, and Research and Development institutions play a major role in redefining the future of the ARIPO region, and of all countries, in general, it is used to support a shift from prosperity based on industrial development to a future based on innovation,” Mrs Chamorro said.
She said the workshop on the promotion of industrial designs and utility models was borne out of one of the objectives of Article III of the Lusaka Agreement5, which is for ARIPO to promote the harmonisation and development of the intellectual property laws and matters related thereto, in ARIPO Member States, appropriate to the needs of its members and of the region as a whole.
“This objective aligns with the EU’s support for the creation of string intellectual property frameworks in ARIPO and in Africa as a whole,” she said.
Mrs Chamorro also highlighted some milestone agreements that demonstrate the remarkable cooperation that exists between EU and ARIPO that include:
- the 1999 – 2011 ARIPO-EUIPO Cooperation Agreement2 on activities concerning harmonization of trade mark and design examination practices and on awareness-raising activities, such as seminars on the protection of trademarks and designs and also on enforcement related matters.
- the ARIPO-EUIPO Memorandum of Understating (MoU) of 3 October 2016 on mechanisms for bilateral cooperation in activities related to trademarks and industrial designs as well as enforcement.
- the Cooperation Agreement with the European Patent Office (EPO) 3 on support on the promotion and development of the patent legal frameworks in Africa. The Offices also agreed to cooperate on training programmes including joint seminars or workshops and other training initiatives.
- the agreement between ARIPO and the Directorate General for Agriculture and Rural Development of the European Union of 20124 for improving protection for traditional agricultural products and geographical indications in the ARIPO region in the ARIPO Africa, suited to African farmers’ needs.
About Author
