Our View
Parliament
The authority and power vested in the Legislature is the very essence of any parliamentary democracy. Power and authority of a parliament stems from the basic principle that the legislature embodies the will of the people through their elected representatives and, therefore, has the authority to make laws and supervise the manner in which those laws are implemented by the executive. Parliaments have evolved as potent and effective instruments of justice, governance, social and economic development.
Intellectual Property
Today, the contribution of human creativity and branding to global trade and to the distribution of wealth has never been more evident. Consequently the value of IP and its distributional impacts are increasingly well understood. Essentially, the knowledge economy is at the forefront of driving the world.
But while others have fully exploited and commercialised their IP, Africa is still playing catch-up and a great deal of confusion over this complex area still gets in the way.
IP Offices
National IP Offices are there to provide the link between creators, inventors and innovators of a particular jurisdiction with the outside world.
Typically, an IP Office will think national and yet as of necessity act global and must be equipped with cutting edge ICT in order to keep abreast of international registration trends which are fast evolving.
Ideally, National IP Offices must be headed by individuals with decision making power with the wherewithal to operate without Government interference in the same manner that the Public Protector / Ombudsman operates.