The
Industrial Property office of the Ministry of Justice in collaboration with
World Intellectual Project Organization (WIPO) and African Regional
Intellectual Project Organization (ARIPO) has organized a seminar on Patent
Cooperation Treaty.
The
two-day seminar was organised to widen people’s understanding on the PCT
system, especially the electronic PCT system which was conducted online
Speaking
at the opening ceremony, Mrs Nyallang Pii, senior Program officer at PCT
International Cooperation Division, said through its technical assistance
programme, WIPO seeks to make intellectual property relevant and beneficial to
all its member states.
In
cooperation with member states, she assured that they would continue to analyze
and reflect on how to adopt the IP system to ensure that it works for the
common good.
She
hoped the seminar would focus on how individuals and institutions in developing
countries could best utilise the international patent system in general and the
patent cooperation treaty in particular.
Also
speaking at the seminar, the Solicitor General and Legal Secretary, Chernor
Marenah, announced that the Ministry of Justice attached great importance to
the advancement and development of intellectual property in The Gambia.
“The
PCT system provides immense opportunities for the young and imaginative
innovators to freely access worldwide data bases containing millions of patent
information,” he said.
Mr
Marenah pointed out that the PCT system is also a premier system for filing
patents worldwide so as to facilitate the filing, searching, examination and
publication of patent application for everyone around the world.
He
added that the patent system is also meant to promote innovation and the major
fundamental problem of the IP system in Africa is the generation of IP rights
Momodou
E. Bah, representing the Inspector General of Police, said section 43 of the
Intellectual Property Act that deals with impeachment.
“As
police officers it is our duty to preserve that law to protect the lives and
works of citizens as well as all other individuals living in the country; it is
a duty to detect and apprehend offenders,” he revealed.
He
urged all officers in the country to work in consultation with the Ministry of
Justice to enforce relevant laws so as
to enforce all laws and regulations as well as the protocols and conventions
signed by The Gambia as far as the international intellectual law is concerned.
