Building IP awareness in Antigua and Barbuda
| Author | Catherine Jewell |
| Position | Communications Division, WIPO |
| Pages | 9-13 |
p. 9WIPO | MAGAZINE
Antigua and Barbuda, ni cknamed the Land of 365 B eaches
lies between the Carib bean Sea and the Atlantic Oce an. This
twin-island state boasts a ric h cultural heritage, a vibra nt
music scene, and some of the world’s foremost athletes,
including cricket legend Vivian Richards. With an economy
dominated by tourism, nancial se rvices and a burg eoning
information and communications technology (ICT) sector,
how is intellectual proper ty (IP) relevant to this countr y with
a population of just over 85,000 inhabita nts? What is be-
ing done to leverage the value of its creative se ctor and to
raise the IP awareness of the island ers? Senator Joanne
Massiah, Minister with responsibility for intellectual prop-
erty, and Ms. Rick i Camacho, Registrar at the Anti gua and
Barbuda Intellectual Property and Commerce Ofce, explain.
Why is IP impor tant to Antigua and Barbu da?
Senator Massiah: We see IP as a way to expose the creativity
of our people and to signicantly boost the country’s economic
prospects, especially where the creative industries are concerned.
The government is rmly c ommitted to guaranteeing that the IP
rights of our creators and inventors are ful ly protected by ensur-
ing that the requisite legislatio n and regulations are in place. The
Caribbean region is k nown for its rich literary and artistic wor ks,
its calypso, reggae and danc ehall music and its heritage. Many of
the region’s resources remain untapped a nd we want to ensure
that an effective IP system is in place so that we ca n fully leverage
their economic value for the g ood of the nation and our people.
What are your main I P priorities?
Ms. Camacho: A major priority for the government has been
to establish a modern, fully-equ ipped IP ofce and deli ver a
comprehensive range of IP s ervices. We are in the proce ss of
reviewing our IP legislatio n to identify those areas that need to
be strengthened to ensure that we are co mpliant with the Agree-
ment on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Pro perty Rights
(TRIPS) and the European Eco nomic Partnershi p Agreement.
I have learned, however, that building an effective IP system
and encouraging its use by lo cal entrepreneurs is an o ngoing
effort and an evolv ing process. You just have to keep going,
learn from mistakes alo ng the way and try to be as engaged
as possible with those pe rsons who use our ser vices to get a
better understandin g of their needs.
Senator Massiah: We are also taking steps, with WIPO’s
support, to register our national f ruit – the renowned Antigu a
Black Pineapple, purpor ted to be the sweetest in the world - as
a geographical indi cation. The sweetness and texture of the
black pineapple - so- called because of the da rk loamy soil in
which it grows - is second to none. Agronomi sts claim that
the prevailing conditions in the a rea of the island in which it is
grown give it its uniqueness. O f course, we want to extract and
exploit the full IP potential this distinctive, high-quality fruit offers.
Ms. Camacho: Improving IP awareness is another priorit y. We
remain unrelenting in our ef forts to ensure that our policymakers
and the general public f ully understand the im portance of IP.
Changing perceptions ab out the role of IP and creating an under-
standing about its relevanc e to almost every facet of life, to eco-
nomic growth and national development, is an ongoing challenge.
We find that although IP has beco me a buzzword in our
society, there is still a lot of confusion about I P rights. Peo-
ple often say they want their copyright p rotected when in
fact they want to register their trademark. Or they s ay they
want to publish an idea for a technolog y, failing to under-
stand that this would destroy its novelt y and make it im-
possible to obtain a patent. We have devised various p ublic
information strategies to help peopl e understand that dif fer-
ent types of IP rights protect dif ferent aspects of a product.
How do you build IP awareness?
Senator Massiah: A few years ago, we recognized that if
we could get our young people to unde rstand and appreciate
the value of IP and stimulate their own sens e of creativity by
rewarding them in some way, we could instill in them, from
a very young age, an appreci ation of what IP is and why it is
important. This would al so help build greater respect for other
people’s property - includin g their IP - and create excitement
about tapping into their own creati vity.
Our annual World IP Day activiti es are central to our outreach
efforts. For the last two ye ars, in collaboration with Scotia Bank,
we have held essay competitions for p rimary and seco ndary
school students. These competitions have been extraordinarily
successful, par ticularly at the primar y school level, and are
activities we want to expand on and devel op further.
Building IP awareness in
ANTIGUA
& BAR BU DA By Catherine Jewell,
Communications Division, WIPO
To continue reading
Request your trial