AIPPIe-News
No.1
April 2008
April 2008
AIPPI General Secretariat |Toedistrasse 16 | CH-8027 Zurich
Tel. +41 44 280 58 80 | Fax +41 44 280 58 85Esmé enews@aippi.org | www.aippi.org
AIPPI President visits South Africa
South African Group of AIPPI: Llewellyn Parker, President and Esmé du Plessis, Vice PresidentAt the end of January 2008 a historic event occurred: the first official visit to the South African Group of AIPPI by an incumbent International President of AIPPI took place.
In 1996 the SA Group had the privilege of hosting the first ever international event of AIPPI on the African Continent: the Council of Presidents meeting. The International President and the International Executive President then were Peter Siemsen and Luiz Leonardos and they both honoured us with their presence — but that was not a visit to the SA Group as such.
Meeting with Government officials
For the first time ever, to our knowledge, an International President could participate in an official meeting with representatives of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the Companies and Intellectual Property Registration Office (CIPRO) — those Government officials responsible for IP in South Africa.
The meeting with DTI and CIPRO was attended, from the AIPPI side, by Mr Ron Myrick (International President), Mr Llewellyn Parker (President, SA Group), Mrs Esmé du Plessis (Vice President, SA Group) and Mr Dave Gilson (Secretary, SA Group). From the side of Government, seven senior officials of CIPRO and DTI attended: from CIPRO Mr Keith Sendwe (Chief Executive Officer of CIPRO), Mr Desmond Marumo (Director: Operations of CIPRO), Mrs Elana Zdravhova (Acting Registrar of Patents), Mrs Fleurette Coetzee (Acting Registrar of Trade Marks) and Ms Patricia Manshon (Director: External Relations of CIPRO); and, from the side of DTI, Mr Fungai Sibanda (Chief Director of Policy and Legislation and Acting Deputy Director General of DTI), and Mr MacDonald Netshitenzhe (Director: Policy and Legislation of DTI).
The meeting covered various topics which enabled Ron Myrick to promote AIPPI by highlighting the several joint initiatives of AIPPI with international bodies but also with national governments and NGOs, and by sharing information on future events and work of AIPPI. The SA Government officials referred to new legislation on the Parliamentary programme for 2008 which would provide for the protection of Traditional Knowledge (TK) within the framework of existing IP legislation. The Government officials indicated that SA would welcome comments and input from NGOs generally on reforming South Africa's IP laws and specifically on the legislative project to protect TK.
Specific interest was also expressed in the possibility of a Southern African regional IP meeting or colloquium, to serve as a "ventilation" meeting for opening up and discussing critical issues. The Government officials indicated that the timing of such an event would be important: a regional meeting in the course of 2008 would be able to address the matter of the protection of TK — an issue of particular importance to South Africa and to developing countries on the African Continent.
A regional meeting during 2009 or 2010 would be focussed more on regional alignment of IP laws, a matter which is under consideration.
Joint meeting of AIPPI and SAIIPL
Also for the first time ever, as far as could be ascertained, a joint meeting took place of the SA Group of AIPPI and the SA Institute of Intellectual Property Law (SAIIPL). The SAIIPL is an NGO established in 1953 as a representative body for IP practitioners, academics in IP law, students in the process of qualifying as IP practitioners, and representatives of business, industry, research councils, etc.
This meeting, which was co-chaired by the President of the AIPPI SA Group, Mr Llewellyn Parker, and the President of the SAIIPL, Mr Mike du Toit, was very well attended. Ron Myrick addressed the meeting on the history, current activities, and future events and work of AIPPI and in the process promoted AIPPI as an NGO of international ambit and stature, and one which collaborates closely with other NGOs in the IP field and with inter-governmental bodies responsible for or involved in IP.
This was followed by a presentation by Esmé du Plessis on the draft Bill at present on the Parliamentary programme in South Africa, which will insert provisions into existing South African IP statutes to provide for the protection of TK.
In the discussions which followed, the importance of a regional conference was stressed. This will be followed up by AIPPI SA Group and the SAIIPL jointly.
This meeting also served as a platform for AIPPI to advertise and promote itself as an organisation to South African intellectual property practitioners and persons having an interest in intellectual property who are not current AIPPI members. It is hoped that this will attract new members to AIPPI which, given the current drive within AIPPI to increase its membership, is also an important aspect.
Back