26 Sep 2017

Companies and Intellectual Property Authority (CIPA) have called on stakeholders to register their intellectual properties to be able to protect their work. 

Speaking at a workshop recently, CIPA compliance, awareness and client services director, Ms Ntesang Sebeso explained that the workshop aimed to raise awareness and sensitise stakeholders on what registering intellectual property meant. 

Ms Sebeso noted that a lot of stakeholders were affected by intellectual property and should be aware of what intellectual property was and what effect it had on individuals, business people and innovators. 

She explained that through registering their intellectual property with CIPA, one would be protecting their work so that people could distinguish between what the public could use freely and what was protected. 

She further emphasised to those involved in the industrial property to register their intellectual property so they could have exclusive rights. 

In addition, Ms Sebeso highlighted that with intellectual property people could become self-employed through their creativity. 

She again called on stakeholders involved in the arts to have copyrights to their work or ideas so that they could avoid piracy and copyrights infringement in their work. 

Ms Sebetso encouraged stakeholders to always record their work for proof of originality and for evidence when legal matters arise. 

She also called on them not to buy audio or sound products that have no holograms because it encouraged piracy. 

For her part, a consultant from United State of America, Professor Doris Long advised stakeholders that before they can design anything they should register their ideas to get a patent for their products. 

She explained that when they had a patent, they had an exclusive right granted to them as inventors allowing them to exclude others from making, using or selling their invention in the country during the life of the patent. 

She also encouraged that they should get a patent for their products in other countries for future business expansion. 

She also noted it was imperative to have a trademark for their businesses because consumers could distinguish their business and protecting them ensures that consumers make confident and safe purchasing decisions. 

Professor Long also advised stakeholders to register their traditional knowledge and cultural things in the community so as to prevent foreigners from taking and distorting them. ENDS