IP is a challenge facing African economies

In most African countries, institutional mechanisms have been established, the relevant policies put in place and activities undertaken towards promoting intellectual property rights. This is because Africa has an underwhelming record in creating and protecting IP.

Not enough importance has been given to the protecting the ideas and data generated by Africans and African institutions. Protecting these valuable resources is an essential step towards creating wealth and securing opportunities for Africa’s youth. The key question now is how we can best use the IP system to bring about lasting economic, social and cultural benefits for all Africans

Global IP statistics paint a rather bleak picture. For example, in 2013 not one African nation appeared among the top 20 countries filing international patent applications using WIPO’s Patent Cooperation Treaty.

In the global knowledge-based economy, intangible assets are central to any country’s productivity and competitive advantage. The creation, management and protection of knowledge are central to global economic integration and wealth creation.

A strong IP regime provides incentives for producers or researchers to develop new products and technologies. We need an urgent public debate involving all stakeholders to frame new ways of promoting innovation and creativity and capturing their economic value in Africa.

Global Patent, Plant Varieties and Trademarks filings rise in 2014. Industrial Designs drop

Innovators filed some 2.7 million patent applications in 2014 to mark a 4.5% worldwide annual rise. Application activity in China outstripped the combined total in its next-closest followers, the United States and Japan.

Trademark and plant variety filings also showed strong growth last year, while industrial design applications declined for the first time in two decades, according to the 2015 edition of the World Intellectual Property Indicators - WIPO’s annual report on the latest trends in intellectual property (IP) activity worldwide.

“Demand for IP rights continued to grow around the globe in 2014,” said WIPO Director General Francis Gurry. “This underscores the central role that new technology and brand recognition play in determining success in today’s marketplace. It also highlights the important task that falls to IP offices in maintaining quality when examining IP applications.”

Patent offices receiving the highest number of applications in 2014 were China, with 928,177 filings, followed by the US (578,802), Japan (325,989), the Republic of Korea (210,292) and the European Patent Office (EPO, 152,662).

US applicants filed the most applications abroad (224,400), followed by those from Japan (200,000) and Germany (105,600).

Computer technology (7.8% of total) saw most applications worldwide, followed by electrical machinery (7.4%), measurement (4.8%) and digital communication (4.6%).

An estimated 1.18 million patents were granted worldwide in 2014.

The total number of trademark registrations issued worldwide in 2014 increased markedly by 16.3% to reach 3.49 million.

For the first time in more than 20 years, the total number of designs contained in all industrial design applications filed worldwide in 2014 dropped by 8.1% to about 1.14 million in 2014.

Plant variety applications reached a new record in 2014 with around 15,600 filings worldwide. The 3.3% increase in 2014 marks the fourth consecutive year of growth.

WIPO-ARIPO Regional Workshop on Intellectual Property and Product Branding For Business Development in Africa

The World Intellectual Property Organisation, (WIPO), in association with African Regional Intellectual PropertyOrganisation, (ARIPO), hosted the Regional Workshop on Intellectual Property and Product Branding for Business Development in Africa in Lusaka, Zambia, between 26th – 27th November. The workshop, which attracted participants from all 19 ARIPO member states was opened the Acting Secretary for Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs of the Republic of Zimbabwe, F. Gabi.

In his opening speech, quoted by ARIPO website, F. Gabi appreciated WIPO and ARIPO for committing time to share knowledge and understanding about the benefits of using branding to market African IP in Africa and beyond. 

Gabi is quoted saying the African continent is rich in resources of any kind, including genetic resources, traditional knowledge, cultural expressions and many more, all of which needs IP protection and a proper business strategy on how to market the goods and services.

The Director, Industrial Property, Christopher Kiige, welcomed the participants to Harare and thanked the Director General of WIPO for facilitating not only this workshop but also other programmes in Africa including the MIP, IP Offices Infrastructure Development Programme through IPAS and others.

Kiige also thanked the very knowledgeable and high calibre resources persons for making time to come and share their knowledge and experiences. He hoped that the MIP students will use the knowledge obtained during the workshop in their daily work for the benefit of the ARIPO Member States and Africa at large.

The representative of WIPO, Joyce Banya said in the knowledge based economy of the world today the importance of IP and innovation is globally acknowledged. African leaders in the AU Agenda 2063 identified Science, Technology and Innovation as crucial elements for the transformation of African Economies.  

Uganda's Super Cop

Standing in the rains battering the rain, she stood firm directing traffic for those in the comfort of their cars. The splashes, mud run off and damp clothing not deterring her duty. Only a helmet protected her hair, green jacket and black trouser shielding her wet skin. This is a rare show of work commitment by a Uganda Police Force officer. 

But Betty Chemisto (CPL) did just that, braving the afternoon rain on October 30 to guide traffic along Lugogo Bypass.

And her actions have not gone unnoticed. When her unidentified picture was posted on social media, it went viral. Many were touched by her selfless devotion and requested to recognize her #Supercop action.

From public contributions, special lunch was organized for her, and cash contributions, said to be about 1.7 million, handed to her.

“I was very happy. I am very happy with Chemisto. This is the image we want to see, because on the century celebrations the president criticised us and since then we have tried to change,” said AIGP Steven Kusima in a ‘lunch message.
“Uganda Police Force is very happy. The recognition will not stop here. We will see to it that her work is duly recognized. I encourage you to continue to do what you are doing, the public is watching,” he added.

CPL Betty Chemisto had this to say, “I thought I had committed a crime (when I was called to office). I love my job whether it rains or not. My OC is very tough he moves around to check especially when it’s about to rain. I carry my packed food, water and raincoat, because in Kampala you are never sure of the weather. Long live Uganda Police."

Messages are still pouring in on social media. 

Tubonge and Copyright Debate

When Ugandan musicians met the president at a evening siesta dubbed Tubonge along the shores of L Victoria at Speke Resort Munyonyo, it was a funfair. Spiced with music, comedy and camera flashlights, the venue was a chatterbox filled with Uganda’s unedited musical voices.

At the end of the sumptuous meal, the president promised a sweetening package of 400 million shillings to be put in their support fund. Accusations and counter accusations of ‘misappropriation’ of the funds are already boiling.

One of the scorns they woke up to a day later was of meeting the president and failing to raise issues of copyright for their music. In defense, some say it was a wrong forum for such an issue.

Music industry in Uganda is still disorganized, and as a result under rewarding in the long term. Ask James Wasula, secretary general of the Uganda Performing Rights Society (UPRS), a collecting society managing music performing rights. Whereas UPRS has a structure for collecting fees from users of music; radio stations, hotels, conference venues, discotheques among others, the collections are meager.

Despite the increase in numbers of potential collection points, the individual benefits of artists from their works are short lived, in relation to copyright aspects. Commercial benefits of music and artistic works in Uganda are catered for under the Copyright and Neighbouring Rights Act, 2006 and the Copyright and Neighbouring Rights Regulations of 2010.  

The implementation of this act is the problem, not the lack of a presidential statement at a dinner besides a lake.

In this crowded city, musicians get their money from concert/musical performance sales, corporate endorsements, participation in commercials and other social performance gigs. The CD sales, airplay revenue and royalties are just a peanut that would not meet the cost of the next trip to the recording studio.

An announcement by the president at Munyonyo would have little, if any, effect to the copyright implementation.In fact, he has through his government set for them the ground to achieve more than a mere statement. The acts and regulations have been passed to cater for intellectual property, and that contains copyright issues.  Institutions like police, judiciary, Uganda RegistrationService Bureau are already in place.

The artists themselves are supposed to be ‘lead actors’ in promoting the copyright benefits of their work.

Wakaliwood – A Breed of Ugandan Film

Over the course of this year, one Ugandan film producer has received more international reporters at his studio and home than all the rest in the field. Newspaper, radio, television, online, he has welcomed them all to his Wakaliga based Ramon Film Productions.

 Isaac Nabwana is the man behind Ramon Film Productions, and Wakaliwood, the new slogan coined out of Wakaliga slum, on the outskirts of Kampala, where his studio is located.

In one of the latest reports, Aljazeera’s Malcolm Webb describes Nabwana as “Uganda's rockstar filmmaker. He produces a new film every month, most with a budget of around $200, attracting millions of views online and filling seats at local theaters,”.

One of the most watched trailers from this production house is a trailer titled Who Killed Captain Alex?. Other films include: tebaatusasula, (they don’t pay us), Bad Black, ‘crazyPeople’ – Ani mulalu and about 50 others.

“It is a surprise that he did not feature anywhere in this year’s Uganda film festival awards,” says Muloma Timothy, one of Wakaliwood films’ fan. “He is flying our flag high outside Uganda, especially in these hard and chaotic times of election”.

With his friends and neighbors, Nabwana is turning Wakaliga into a home of film production.

Ugandan Doctor Invents Ebola Rapid Diagnostic Test Kit, Files for Patents

A Ugandan doctor, Misaki Wayengera, has filed to World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and the African RegionalIntellectual Property Organization (ARIPO), for patents of his innovations in biometric interventions that include an HIV-1 cure and rapid tuberculosis diagnostics. 

His rapid diagnostic test (RDT) for Ebola virus disease (EVD) is able to detect Ebola recombinant antigens in less than five minutes.

In an article by Agnes Nanyogo, published on the website http://www.internationalhealthpolicies.org, titled “Ugandan innovation could end up being manufactured elsewhere: the plight of a young scientist in Africa”, it reveals that Wayengera kicked off his research with the EVD RDT under start-up (2008) biotech Restrizymes Biotherapeutics (U) limited.

Among the challenges he has faced is shortage of funds to facilitate his research.

“Dr Wayengera then resorted to applying for funding from Grand Challenges Canada in 2013;  he was awarded a grant worth CAN$100,000. In addition, Grand Challenges Canada was willing to award to him an extra one million dollars for his research, if matched by financial commitment [of any value] to the project by his home Government. Subsequent efforts to secure local funding from the Ugandan government through follow up letters and social media pressure were futile. Luckily, in a rare turn of events, a breach of the prevailing rules and in a show of trust, Grand Challenges Canada offered Dr. Wayengera and his research team CAN$1.5 million, possibly due to the devastating EVD in West Africa and beyond.  The money enabled Dr. Wayengera and his team to continue with their research which led to a breakthrough innovation,” 

This quote is from Agnes Nanyogo’s article, which can be accessed on this link: http://www.internationalhealthpolicies.org/ugandan-innovation-could-end-up-being-manufactured-elsewhere-the-plight-of-a-young-scientist-in-africa/

Wayengera is now looking to manufacture and scale up his technology in North America.