Africa-Press – Tanzania. TANZANIA has said World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) contributed dearly to the country’s efforts to promote a good environment for the prosperity of knowledgebased economic development on innovation and creative works.
The Business Registration and Licensing Agency (BRELA) Chief Executive Officer, Mr Godfrey Nyaisa, said the country benefited heavily from WIPO assistance in a number of programmes especially in the area of trainings and capacity building.
“Recently,” Mr Nyaisa said “WIPO and the Judiciary of Tanzania have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with intent to strengthen the judicial system, IP services and protection in Tanzania,” Mr Nyaisa said when delivering his speech at the 62nd series of meetings of the assemblies of member states of the WIPO that ends today.
The implementation of the Judiciary MoU will ultimately help to address the legal challenges related to IP adjudication facing the judiciary system in the country.
He said WIPO also implements projects and activities in the country, including the distance learning access platform as a starting point for students enrolling in Master’s Degree programme for IP at the University of Dar es Salaam, the availability of IP reference materials; and the joint programme for training of trainers on IP teaching methodologies through the WIPO Academy.
Tanzania has also received WIPO’s support in Alternative Dispute Resolution in copyright and related issues, WIPOCOS/WIPO connect system and review of the Copyright and Neighbouring Rights Act and preparation of regulations.
Furthermore, Mr Nyaisa said, the country is currently carrying out internal consultative process that will lead to the signing, domestication and ratification of the Internet Treaties, Beijing Treaty on Audio-visual Performance, Kampala Protocol and the Madrid Protocol.
“We are confident that WIPO will also collaborate with our government to expedite the finalisation of the on-going consultative process, with a view the can catch up with the global developments and the benefits associated with membership and implementation of the referred Treaties and Protocols,” he said.
“Until now BRELA has put in place a system to process applications for certificates and trademarks, review of intellectual property laws as well as textbooks and teaching part of the Master’s Degree in Creative Degree offered by the University of Dar es Salaam,” he said.
