20 Apr 2017

The World Intellectual Property Day is billed for D’Kar on April 26.

A press release from Companies and Intellectual Property Authority  (CIPA) states that the event will be commemorated under the theme Innovation - Improving Lives and will be hosted by CIPA, Copyright Society of Botswana , Botswana

Innovation Hub, Department of Research Science and Technology, and Botswana Institute for Technology Research and Innovation.

The release explains that this year’s theme challenges people to explore how innovation can make lives healthier, safer and more comfortable.

It further states that the theme sets a foundation to look at how the intellectual property system supports innovation by attracting investment, rewarding creators, encouraging them to develop their ideas, and ensuring that their new knowledge is freely available so that tomorrow’s innovators can build on today’s new technology.

The release continues to say that D’Kar was identified as a suitable location for the commemoration, as the village boasts a state of the art innovation centre. “Residents of D’Kar are making full use of this centre and are continually developing innovative solutions to common problems that they face in their daily lives,” says the release.

The release further points out that the spot light on the D’kar innovation centre is expected to showcase to the rest of Botswana that innovation and intellectual property can be used for sustainable economic growth, poverty alleviation and employment creation.

The release also says the World Intellectual Property Day is celebrated annually on April 26 and offers a unique opportunity to join with others around the globe to celebrate the contribution of intellectual property to the social and economic growth of the world.

“The World Intellectual Property Organisation provides a theme each year, and member states use the day for awareness creation and for deliberating on how IP can be harnessed for economic diversification” it states. BOPA