ARIPO Administrative Council Meeting, 28 October 2024 – 1 November 2024 in Maseru, Kingdom of Lesotho
The 48th Session of the Administrative Council of the African
Regional Intellectual Property Organisation (ARIPO) was held in
Lesotho from 28 October 2024 to 31 November 2024.
Adams & Adams Partner, Jameel Hamid, Associate Marile Fouche
and Africa Practice Manager, Menzi Maboyi, attended the
session.
Twenty-one member states were represented at this session with
two observer states, Burundi and South Sudan.
The Registrar General of the Kingdom of Lesotho, Mrs. Mamoretlo
Mohapi, provided welcome remarks and was followed by the Director
General of ARIPO, Mr. Bemanya Twebaze, who addressed the Council.
The DG highlighted the work of the Secretariat and “awareness
creation and capacity-building initiatives that were geared towards
the uptake of the ARIPO Protocols and enhancement of the
Organization’s visibility in the Member States and forums
gathering the users and potential users of ARIPO system.”
The Guest of Honour, Honourable Richard Ramoeletsi, Minister of
Law and Justice of the Kingdom of Lesotho addressed the Council and
officially opened the Forty-Eighth Session of the Administrative
Council.
Although Adams & Adams is based in South Africa, we are able
to work directly with ARIPO, via our Mozambique office, as
Mozambique is a member of ARIPO. We have worked directly with the
ARIPO Registry since 2009, and are currently one of the largest
users of the ARIPO patent system.
Turning to the uptake of ARIPO Protocols, the Council was
informed that, on 30 August 2024, the Republic of Namibia deposited
its Instrument of Ratification of the Kampala Protocol on Voluntary
Registration of Copyright and Related Rights.
The Council was informed that the Arusha Protocol shall enter
into force on 24 November 2024, following Ghana’s deposit of
its instrument of ratification in 2023. The other three (3)
Countries that have ratified the Protocol are Rwanda, São
Tomé and Príncipe, and Cape Verde.
The Council was informed that ARIPO continues with efforts to
engage the Observer States, including the Republic of Burundi, the
Republic of South Sudan, the Arab Republic of Egypt, and the
Democratic Republic of Congo, encouraging them to consider joining
the Organization.
The Council was also informed of the decrease in trade mark
filings, compared to the same period last year, and attributed this
to economic downturns in some of the world’s more developed
economies.
The Council was informed that the comprehensive review of the
ARIPO Protocols would be conducted in phases. The first phase
focuses on the Harare Protocol and its Regulations, before
proceeding with other Protocols. The Technical Committee on
Industrial Property is set to review the amendments to the Harare
Protocol in November 2024 and, thereafter, a proposal would be
submitted to the Council for consideration and adoption at an
Extraordinary Session.
The Forty-Ninth Session of the Administrative Council will be
hosted by Ghana with the dates to be shared during the course of
next year.
Delegates at the 48th ARIPO Administrative Council
Meeting
The DG of ARIPO, Mr Twebaze Bemanya (L) and Adams & Adams Partner, Jameel Hamid
Jameel with the Registrar General of the Kingdom of Lesotho,
Mrs. Mamoretlo Mohapi, and the Registrar General of The Gambia, Mr.
Abdoulie Colley
The content of this article is intended to provide a general
guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought
about your specific circumstances.
