BAIPA ORGANIZES MEETING ON BANJUL PROTOCOL

A meeting on the Banjul Protocol on trademark registration took place on 7 November in Maputo. The meeting was organized by Braz & Associados, Lda and was attended by the General Director of ARIPO, Dr. Fernando dos Santos, IPI representatives, Dr. Julieta Nhane (Director of the Central Services of Trademarks and Patents) and Mr. Emídio Rafael (Coordinator of the Legal Department), Official Agents of Industrial Property (AOPI) and other interested parties.

Against the background of the country's recent adherence to the protocol, the purpose of the meeting was to illustrate the impact of this important instrument and to disseminate information on how Mozambican agents can take advantage of it and even the other protocols managed by ARIPO.

In his opening remarks, the Baipa partner, Sérgio Braz, pointed out that after the concerns expressed by the AOPIs over the years in which the country's accession to the protocol lasted, and having now been consummated, this was the moment to move on, that is, to understand and master the mechanisms and procedures, to understand the processes and to outline strategies for a better use of the situation that is approaching.

On her behalf, Dr. Julieta discussed the accession process, explaining that it was a long process in which the various interested parties were heard. She explained that the accession is justified by the fact that Mozambique is a member of ARIPO and therefore it makes perfect sense not to stay out from the Banjul Protocol, that is, the integration of the country into that organization must be complete and, that is, within all the protocols of the organization.

The General Director of ARIPO, however, as the main speaker of the event, elaborated on the organization's history, its structure, the numerous services it provides, its relationship with the national offices of the Member States and its mandate regarding the several types of intellectual property rights.

Regarding the Banjul Protocol, he expressed its sympathy with AOPIs' fears that this accession may cost them a certain amount of work, but has ensured that regional integration is irreversible, which means that cooperation must be complete and not a cooperation of convenience per protocol. Building on his vision of intellectual property geared to social, technological and economic development, he has listed, inter alia, the following advantages of adhering to the Banjul Protocol:

• Mozambican entrepreneurs are now able to protect their rights (trademarks) in all ARIPO Member States, which is not possible in the current situation.

• Since they are accredited to ARIPO, the Mozambican AOPIs will become more exposed internationally, which means that they will be increasingly sought by international agents and firm to register their trademarks in the region via ARIPO.

• ARIPO has its procedures for registering intellectual property rights digitalized, making processes simpler and more flexible.

To not waste these advantages, Mr. dos Santos suggested that Mozambican AOPIs should be more attentive to what is happening at ARIPO and at international level so that they can take advantage of the many opportunities offered, such as the training given by ARIPO and WIPO (both short-term and master's degree courses), annual work meetings between ARIPO and IP Agents, specialized international annual meetings, among many other networking opportunities. This is to say that the AOPIs have the challenge of becoming more and more professional and specialized, making their activity increasingly visible at the regional and international levels.

It should be mentioned that the accession process will be concluded when the Government of Mozambique deposits the instruments of ratification at ARIPO, and three months later the protocol will enter into force in the country.