Skip to Content.
Sympa Menu

ccafrica - [ccAfrica] Update about "A new course for The Pan African Intellectual Property Organization is urgently needed"

ccafrica AT lists.ibiblio.org

Subject: Creative Commons Jurisdiction Teams in Sub-Saharan Africa

List archive

Chronological Thread  
  • From: Dick Kawooya <dkawooya AT gmail.com>
  • To: CC Africa mailing list <ccafrica AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: [ccAfrica] Update about "A new course for The Pan African Intellectual Property Organization is urgently needed"
  • Date: Mon, 5 Nov 2012 11:28:23 -0500

Dear Colleagues,

Since its launch on October 18th, close to 350 individuals and organizations have signed the petition "A new course for the Pan African Intellectual Property Organization is urgently needed." As we come close to the Nov 10th deadline, we encourage you to remind colleagues and friends to make their voices heard on this important issue which has potentially significant implications not only for intellectual property protection in Africa but for the future of the entire international intellectual property system.

There is also growing evidence of concerns about the current draft statute of PAIPO as reflected in two recent blogs by African IP experts worth highlighting:

1) Sarah Moyo an IP Attorney from Zimbabwe has made a compelling argument for strengthening existing IP infrastructure rather than a new bureaucracy. She also rightfully points out that the final draft Statute of PAIPO does not provide for ratification or accession by African countries, which is usually required when countries establish any new intergovernmental organization. According to Article 20 of the draft Statute, the Statute establishing PAIPO will automatically come into force on the day of endorsement by the Assembly and Head of States of the African Union.

2) Caroline Ncube Senior Lecturer Department of Commercial Law University of Cape Town highlighted some of the issues mentioned in the petition, notably the contradictions between the PAIPO statute and various documents or international agreements where African countries and the AU have strongly supported balanced intellectual property regimes that address public policy and development objectives.

In addition, Techdirt has posted a story expressing concerns about the narrow view of intellectual property advanced by the current statute of PAIPO and its possible detrimental effects tech hubs emerging across the continent.

As the date of the African ministerial meeting for considering the draft statute of PAIPO is fast approaching (12-16 November), there are even more reason why this petition is important as a unified voice that calls for deferring the consideration of PAIPO's draft statute and the holding of a broad and inclusive consultation process over the nature, functions and scope of the proposed organization. Please, take time to send out reminders to your networks before the deadline so that the African Union becomes receptive to the concerns expressed on this important issue. Thank you for signing the petition and leaving behind thoughtful comments which will be forward alongside the petition.

The petition is available for signature at: http://www.change.org/petitions/a-new-course-for-the-pan-african-intellectual-property-organization-is-urgently-needed

Dick Kawooya/Ahmed Abdel Latif



  • [ccAfrica] Update about "A new course for The Pan African Intellectual Property Organization is urgently needed", Dick Kawooya, 11/05/2012

Archive powered by MHonArc 2.6.24.

Top of Page