‘Product owners should acquire exclusive rights’

Justice minister Kahinda Otafiire. He has urged owners to acquire exclusive rights for their products. File photo. 

By Ephraim Kasozi

Product proprietors should acquire exclusive rights on their respective inventions to
exclude others from dealing, making, using, and or selling them, Justice and Constitutional Affairs minister Kahinda Otafiire, has said.

Gen Otafiire also called for vigilance among the public to insure and recognise exclusive rights on locally invented products.

Speaking at the opening of the Council of Ministers of the Africa Regional Intellectual Property Organisation (ARIPO) in Kampala, Gen Otafiire attributed the rampant infringement on Intellectual Property (IP) to low levels of awareness about the exclusive rights to a variety of intangible assets such as musical, literary, and artistic works; discoveries and inventions. “In Uganda, we have many products ranging from music to natural products like fish and honey. If the people dealing in these products acquire patent on these products, they can sale to harness premium prices,” said Gen Otafiire.

The Uganda Registration Services Bureau (URSB) in partnership with ARIPO, organised the summit to enhance harmonisation of the legal framework among partner states to boost patent and other industrial property matters.

According to Gen Otafiire, IP is at the centre of countries’ economic and social development because traditional knowledge is one of the biggest assets that Africans have and could use to improve their well being. “In the new knowledge economy, IP is the epicenter of growth and development. Developed economies bears testimony to the immense contribution that IP plays in the well being of humanity,” said Gen. Otafiire appealing to ARIPO partner states to formulate a new thrust in the growth and development of economies.

Mr Fernando dos Santos, the ARIPO Director General, said there is need for economies to exchange views and experience of their work towards enhancement of the IP regime in Africa.

“As you know, IP is developing at a fast pace. This means that the secretariat should update its work to keep abreast with the current developments in the economies, so a number of working documents have been prepared for the attention of the administrative council including amendments,” he added