Kudos! South Africa's cabinet approves IP Policy

South African Cabinet- Picture credit- United Nations

South Africa’s cabinet has approved the draft Intellectual Property Policy after nine years of policy development, two different draft policies and various rounds of public consultation.

This approval of the policy, which has received both local and international applause, has set in motion an administrative process which will lead to the publication of the finalized policy in the government gazette. Although it is unclear when it will be published.

Image credit- Slide Player

The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and the UN Development Program (UNDP) provided substantive advice and assistance on the development of the policy from mid-2016. The overall purpose of UNCTAD’s and UNDP’s involvement was to share experience in international IP policymaking to help South African stakeholders compare the approach taken in their national policy with practices in other jurisdictions. This involved a series of activities on the draft IP policy as well as its predecessor, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) draft consultative framework for IP, the sources said. UNCTAD and UNDP organised two national stakeholder consultations, in 2016 and 2017, on the policy document. The process also was said to involve other organisations such as the World Health Organization (WHO), World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and the World Trade Organization (WTO).

Christoph Spennemann, legal officer and officer-in-charge, Intellectual Property Unit, Division on Investment and Enterprise, UNCTAD, congratulated South Africa on the adoption of the national IP policy.

News Source- IP Watch

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