ADDIS ABABA – Ethiopian Intellectual Property Office said that it has registered 3,245 Trademarks in the just ended Ethiopian budget year with the aim to ensure fair trading system.
Ermias Yemanebirhan, Office General Director said that as registering offers rights for proprietors to use the trademark in respect of the goods; the Office has been undertaking awareness creation activities to boost the culture of registering business trademarks.
The Office has conducted the registration of 95 patents and provided 366 certificates for copy right applicants to protect their intellectual property rights. “In turn, it has also collected 15 million Birr from providing such types of services.”
Mentioning that the Office has been working jointly with local and international technological institutions to support technological innovation, he said that it has signed interface agreement with 53 institutions including government higher education institutions. Consequently, 11 of them have established technology support centers.
Similarly, he further said, in collaboration with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), the Office has set out an online trademark filing system. While taking the challenges exhibited in relation to copycats, he said that due to lack of awareness towards intellectual property and patenting rights among the public, violation of copy rights often occurs.
Likewise, the culture of intellectual property registry in the side of individual owners is being low because they do not think their products will be copied or stolen by others is also another cause for the prevalence of the violation of copy right, he remarked.
However, to promote copy right and protect patent rights of individual as well as encourage intellectual works, activities are carried out. Ways intellectuals can obtain loan from financial institutions by their own intellectual properties instead of tangible assets is also facilitated.
He further noted that to provide legal protection for intellectual property (IP) rights, supported by justice organs like the police, public prosecutors and relevant groups, the government has currently drafted new policy that protect the violation of copy right.
Temesgen Beka, Author of a book entitled “fuullee jalala” on his part said that copycats because they infringe the patent rights of others and discourage innovators and most importantly they are attempting to manipulate others’ creativity as a strategy to amass profits, the government should bring them before the law. He noted that society should also label the violators of the copy right as a theft, he added.
The Ethiopian Herald, July 17/2019
BY TAMERU REGASA
