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
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