The Informer (Monrovia)
12 November 2009
An intellectual property academy is expected to be built in Liberia as a way of fighting the reported high wave of piracy in the country, the Deputy Commerce Minister for Administration has disclosed.
Associate Profession Lavela B. Kortimai, Sr., said plans are afoot to establish the academy at the University of Liberia, with the expressed backing of the World Intellectual Property Organization (Wipo) and the Africa Regional Intellectual Property Organization (Afripo).
Intellectual property (IP)-according to definition provided by the website, Wikipedia-is a number of distinct types of legal monopolies over creations of the mind, both artistic and commercial, and the corresponding fields of law. Under intellectual property law, owners are granted certain exclusive rights to a variety of intangible assets, such as musical, literary, and artistic works; discoveries and inventions; and words, phrases, symbols, and designs.
Prof. Kortimai said the Ministry of Commerce has already submitted a plan of the academy to the President of the University of Liberia, where the academic would be established, for review. Commerce Minister Miata Besolow and UL President Dr. Emmet Dennis are expected to hold talks aimed at speeding the establishment of the academy.
Speaking to the Informer in an interview recently when he returned from an IP conference in Harare, Zimbabwe, the Deputy Commerce Ministers said the Wipo and Afripo are prepared to help Liberia establish the academy.
Prof. Kortimai said though he raised the issue of capacity building and associated cost of establishing such institution in the country at the conference, Wipo assured that they would provide technical and logistical support, but Liberia must first be willing to have the institution.
"Like other African countries that are members of Afripo, Liberia, too, needs to join Afripo, and the establishment of the IP academy in Liberian would help educate our people against piracy," the Deputy Commerce Boss, who confirmed high rate of piracy in the country, noted.
Two ministries-Commerce and Finance-have IP offices in the country, meaning the operation of the sector is somewhat fragmented. Prof Kortimai said "We said need to bring the two offices together under one umbrella, because issues of IP have now gone beyond mere singing and writing of books."
"It now involves every aspects of life-trade, commerce, industry, agriculture, investment. It is bigger than what many Liberians consider it to be."
Prof Kortimai said Liberia has yet to become a member of Afripo. He said it was time to do so. "It doesn't require anything to become a member," the Minister said.
Once you an African country that have musicians, writers and inventors, you are eligible. "We envy Sierra Leone and Ghana, who are members and are encouraging us to join them," he said.
"The Ministry has already submitted a plan to the University of Liberia; we are already negotiating with the University of Liberia to see how we can establish the academy," Prof Kortimai, who is also Associate Dean for Graduate Studies at the UL, noted.
"When established, Prof Kortimai said there would also be need to also incorporate courses on trade and commerce at the academy. "We don't only need IP education, but we also need trade and commerce-the entire university, I don't see a course in trade and commerce; I don't think we have it," he conjectured.
As a mean of building and strengthening the commerce of Liberia, Prof. Kortimai intimated that there is a need to have a course in commerce, at least a diploma level, thought at the UL.
He said Liberia-after years of self-destructive civil war and accepted back into the comity of nations-must not relent in conforming with healthy global realities such as fighting against piracy and defending people's and organization's intellectual property rights.
Frowning on the level of piracy in the country, he said "People are not mindful. They can dub anybody's cassette, photocopy anybody's work, without permission from, or reference to the person," adding, "It is illegal, it is bad and should be rejected."
Meanwhile the Harare's October 26-28, 2009 Wipo-Afripo seminar focused on implementation of the Wipo development agenda.
The aim of the seminar was to create an understanding on the linkages between IP and development in general and the implementation of the Wipo development agenda in particular.
Members state were of the view that it has become necessary to correctly understand how to integrate IP as a tool for social, cultural and economic development, and its mainstreaming into various development plans and strategies at the national level.
They also indicated that all relevant policy levers be explored and utilized as tools for attaining the UN Millennium Development Goals, as well as realizing their own national development objective.
Sixty-five participants attended the seminar, and it was indeed successful and full of frank discussions. "What we now need to do, as a country and government is to take advantage of the opportunity at our door post, Prof. Kortimai noted.
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