Africa-Press – Tanzania. TANZANIA has seen a growing awareness of registering intellectual property (IP) among locals in the past three years.
According to the Business Registration and Licensing Agency (BRELA), the number of registered intellectual properties has increased from 45 three years ago to 80 per year, mostly by locals.
The Director of Intellectual Property at BRELA, Ms Loy Mhando, stated that in the last three years, the majority of registered properties were from local innovators, in contrast to previous years where they were mostly from foreigners.
“Our awareness campaigns, especially at universities and other groups, seem to be paying off,” Ms.
Mhando told reporters yesterday ahead of World Intellectual Property Day (WIPO), which is nationally celebrated today. She mentioned that the awareness campaign will continue and expand beyond universities to include other innovators as well.
Furthermore, she stated that they are collaborating with the Tanzania Commission for Science and Technology (COSTECH) and have identified 25 youth innovators.
“The goal is to educate them on the importance of registering their innovations as intellectual property at an early stage,” Ms Mhando said.
The theme for this year’s World Intellectual Property Day is ‘IP and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): Building our Common Future with Innovation and Creativity’.
World IP Day is observed annually on April 26th. It is a unique opportunity to celebrate the world’s incredible inventors and creators and explore how IP shapes the world. The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) organizes the day to promote and protect innovation and creative intellectual resources, including inventions, by issuing patents, business names, trade and service marks, and copyrights.
Tanzania is a member of WIPO, collaborating with the organization to ensure that efforts promote the understanding of intellectual property issues, legally protect them in alignment with scientific and technological advancements, and boost the economy. World Intellectual Property Day is typically celebrated on April 26.
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