Industrial Property

In Geneva, on June 17, ministers, and delegates at the World Trade Organisation’s (WTO’s) Twelfth Ministerial Conference (MC12) reached an agreement on a series of key trade initiatives. The deal represents a breakthrough for the Organisation which has created one agreement between all 164 members in its 27-year existence to date.

Inventa joined the Innovation & IP Forum and Awards on May 31, 2022, in Paris. Organized by the Leaders League, this event is dedicated to discussing global challenges and opportunities related to in patent, trademark, IT,  IP litigation and other related IP rights.

Represented by Diogo Antunes and Diogo Maroco, Inventa was recognized with a special distinction in the category of Best IP Advisory in Portugal.

World Intellectual Property Day is celebrated on April 26 and, this year, with the theme chosen by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO): “IP and Youth: innovating for a better future”. The relationship between youth and IP has at least two directions. In one direction, youth innovate and get protection through IP. In another, youth are the main addressees of IP-protected innovations. It is mainly in this direction of the relationship that the sub-theme of trademarks in the metaverse is situated.

What is the metaverse?

The African economy is losing billions of dollars for not protecting their intellectual property (IP), says Prof. Munashe Furusa, Vice-Chancellor of Africa University, in Zimbabwe. And young inventors are among the most concerned.

The number of inventors from all over the continent that struggle to develop, manufacture, protect and commercialize their inventions, is considerable. Inevitably, it results in an important loss of earnings to the inventors and to the economies.

Inventa offers a compilation of articles, authored by our team, on some relevant topics that marked the field of innovation, trademarks, patents and IP rights, mainly in Africa, Europe and Asia.

The year 2021 has been in the spotlight since the previous year. With expectation, in almost every part of the planet, it was a year to strengthen ambitions and achieve objectives, as we all try to adjust to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Intellectual property

In relation to the 50th anniversary of Inventa International, we have been given the challenge to analyze certain intellectual property data over the past 50 years on the African continent.

As it is impossible to cover a panoramic view of the various events, we chose just a few topics we found interesting for this minor-scale study. At the outset, it seems important for us to outline a short introduction about the African continent and the protection of industrial property in the countries of which it is made up.

In a globalized world, driven by the information technologies revolution and the service economy, the tangible assets are less and less valuable, while intangible assets, increasingly valuable, are emerging as the key to success, leading the companies to seek how to best use their intangible assets.

The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) came into effect on January 1, 2021 and is the largest trade area in the world by number of participating countries since the formation of the World Trade Organization (WTO).

The objectives outlined in article 3 of the treaty include the establishment of a common market for products and services, a regional customs authority, enhancing the competitiveness of member states’ economies both in Africa and globally, and promoting industrial development.

A successful IP system is crucial to the growth of small and medium enterprises in Nigeria, however, there are some major challenges hindering its development.