Biruk Girma
20 December 2007
Addis Ababa — The Ethiopian Intellectual Property Office (EIPO) on Tuesday urged local concerned bodies to be ware of the importance of respecting intellectual properties and to pay all the necessary attention in maintaining them for their significance in nation's development.
The Office said owing to lack of the mechanism and controlling power, the country has for many years saw as the rights of intellectual properties were breached thereby witnessing a loss of a variety of values.
"Unless we maintain and promote our own values by giving a due attention of it, outsiders and foreigners would continue making the advantages of the values letting the poor keep carrying the burden to make life", Director-General Getachew Mengistie told a press conference in his office.
Tasked with ensuring intellectual properties, both at individual and national levels the Office has been striving to resolve the raw with the Coffee giant Starbucks over Ethiopia's coffee brands.
At a recent visit here, the head of the US-based Coffee company said his company was committed to make Ethiopian coffee the best in the world market, a sign of improving relations with the country.
Many outsiders have been benefiting a lot for many years selling a pound of coffee for more than 25 USD where the poor farmer got pieces of cents letting the country share only 5 -10% from retail sale.
Citing the recent work done in regards to coffee branding, the director further elaborated the merits of respecting intellectual properties as a means to escape poverty.
"By this Ethiopian farmers could not full fill even some of their basic necessities," Getachew said, adding however that after the continuous efforts made to brand three major Ethiopian specialty coffee, hopes are being seen for the poor farmer in particular and the nation's economy in general.
According to the director, efforts in licensing Yirgacheffe, Harar and Sidama-the three specialty coffee brands known worldwide for quality- had been progressing positively.
He said the office was exerting utmost efforts to license the brands all over the world.
Getachew said all the three brands have already been licensed in Canada.
Yirgacheffe and Harar have been licensed all over Europe while efforts are underway for the brand Sidama after it encountered some complains from a German company.
According to the Director General, Ethiopia is using a strategy where coffee buying companies are granted permission to distribute for free of charge world wide "for the benefit of the country.
"Till now, we have agreed with 60 companies and heading to sign with 150 - 200 companies within the next six or seven month's time", Getachew said.
According to the agreement, these companies should make the produce available to the market by its own brand name and should promote its specialty, Getachew explained.
The office also has a licensing agreement with 50 local exporters and engaged them in a licensing distribution networks worldwide, the director added.
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