Hon. Garmai Koboi, Director Genral of the Liberia Intellectual Property Office, Outlines Vision at Taking Over Ceremony.

 Representative from the Office of the Honorable Minister of Commerce here present, Hon. P. Adelyn Cooper, Former Director General of the Liberia Intellectual Property Office; All former Deputies of the Liberia Intellectual Property Office; Hon. Clarence H. Cole, Deputy Director General for Copyright; Representatives of various artistic unions; All staff and department heads of the Liberia Intellectual Property Office; The management and staff of the Copyright Society of Liberia; Members of the press; Distinguished guests; Ladies and Gentlemen:

I give thanks and praises to God Almighty, the
Great Guide and Sustainer of us all, for His manifold blessings. I pray for His
continued grace as I embark upon this journey.

I stand before you today deeply honored and humbled
to take over as the newly Confirmed and Commissioned Director General of the
Liberia Intellectual Property Office. I am grateful to Hon. Cooper and her team
for her transformational leadership as Director General of the Liberia
Intellectual Property Office for six years. While Hon. Cooper might be leaving,
my administration will always seek her advice. I worked with her and know the
type of person she is. She is hardworking, an achiever, and a reservoir of
knowledge. Once again, I say thank you Hon. Cooper for the job well done and
for leaving a strong foundation on which I can start.

At this juncture, I express my heartfelt
gratitude to all those who have supported me on this journey. Most especially,
President Joseph N. Boakai, Sr., for entrusting me with the responsibility of
leading his intellectual property rights agenda, which is a critical component
of his government’s ARREST Agenda aimed at the socio-economic development of
our beloved country; and my parents for their love and support. Circumstances
beyond their control mean they would not be here today to witness this historic
event—the first of its kind in the history of the Liberia Intellectual Property
Office for the Director General to be an institutional pick. Also, my deepest
appreciation goes to the Unity Party Alliance for standing with me against all
odds when some folks went on a blackmail spree to question my appointment.

Ladies and gentlemen, as I step into this role,
I am acutely aware of the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead, and I am
committed to repositioning the Liberia Intellectual Property Office to achieve
its founding objective of seeing Intellectual Property become the underlying
tools that drive our socio-economic development.

At the core of my vision is the recognition
that intellectual property is not just a legal concept or a technicality – it
is a powerful tool for economic development, cultural preservation, and social
empowerment. As such, my administration’s priority areas include strengthening the
capacity to better administer the generations of Intellectual Property assets
while protecting them against abuse. The development of various institutions’
strategic plans and regulations that govern the Liberia Intellectual Property
Office works will be a hallmark of my administration. There will be no more
business as usual. Going forward, all activities and engagement with
stakeholders will be guided by strategy so our goals are result-driven.

Central to my vision is the conduct of a
historic study on the contribution of intellectual Property to the Liberian
economy. This study would assess the state of the country’s intellectual
property ecosystem and provide empirical data on its direct and indirect
economic contribution to the country, including its impact on job creation, and
GDP, as well as provision data on the scope and cost of intellectual property
theft on the Liberian economy and the future monetary value of the country’s
intellectual property ecosystem.

The findings of the study would serve as the
basis for future data-driven policy decisions and regulations. Equally so, the
study will bring about massive attention never seen or heard of before in the
intellectual property ecosystem—thanks to the availability of economic data
that would foster easy public understanding.

The study outcome would fit directly into
President Boakai’s ARREST agenda, which focused on Agriculture, Roads, Rule of
Law, Education, Sanitation, and Tourism — leading to the integration of
intellectual property into the sectoral policies and national development
agenda. As you all may be aware, intellectual property is fundamental to
fostering innovation in agriculture, enhancing educational resources through
copyright protection, promoting tourism through branding and trademarking
initiatives, as well as ensuring legal frameworks for infrastructure
development. And so, when we have data on the economic contributions of
intellectual property to the Liberian economy, we will be strengthening the
President ARREST Agenda by placing intellectual property rights at the center
of the achievement of the country’s development goals, thereby, facilitating
the Government’s objectives of eradicating poverty, unemployment, and
inequality.

The core sectors of the President’s Agenda
heavily rely on Intellectual Property. Also, a key central piece of my vision
is the modernization of the Liberia Intellectual Property Office operating
process which is outdated. The system, which is heavily paper-based, is one of
the primary reasons why Intellectual Property registration in Liberia is a
difficult and time-consuming process.

The modernization will simplify and expedite
the application process, which in return would minimize administrative burdens
and enable applicants to track their applications conveniently from anywhere.

The modernized system would include a one-stop
online registration portal and processing systems, as well as a digitized IP
records system. The incorporation of electronic processing would also enable
the Liberia Intellectual Property Office to automate routine tasks, such as
application reviews, fee calculations, and document generation, reduce the
likelihood of human errors improve overall efficiency

bolster searchability, and prevent the
potential loss or manipulation of physical records.

At the heart of my vision for the Liberia
Intellectual Property Office is enforcement, which is the cornerstone that
drives the knowledge-based economy around the world—inciting innovation and
creativity. Countless studies have consistently validated this position.

Today, as a result of our poor enforcement
culture, generators of Intellectual Property rights lack the assurance that
their intellectual property will be enforced in case of theft. A clear example
of this is the creative industries in Liberia, particularly the music and movie
industry, which despite brimming with talent and potential, are yet to attract
any significant investment—as potential investors are discouraged from
investing in a market where their intellectual property rights are not
adequately enforced.

This is not a mere saying but a fact. Just a
drive from here to Benson and other areas in central Monrovia shows visible
manifestations of a growing and open pirate market of movies, music, and
software—where pirates peddle their illegal wares with impunity—undermining the
livelihoods of our creators as well as depriving creative industries of
economic benefits.

This situation under my watch will be tackled
hands-on, and piracy will not thrive in the open or in the shadows. This I
promise you! The first part of my enforcement strategy lies in the periodic
raids of the growing and open manifest pirate markets to disrupt the supply
chains and dismantle the distribution networks. These markets represent the
most blatant and visible form of Intellectual Property theft in Liberia; as
such, their continued existence undermines public confidence in the Liberia
Intellectual Property Office’s ability to perform its function perfectly.

The second prong of my administration’s
enforcement strategy is prosecution. We will actively pursue the prosecution of
individuals involved in the piracy trade, holding them accountable for their
actions.

Too often, these criminals operate with
impunity, disregarding the country’s intellectual property laws and committing
economic crimes against the state. This will no longer happen as we will ensure
that pirates face the full weight of the law. Periodic raids and prosecution
will not just create a deterrent effect that dissuades would-be infringers from
engaging in piracy but demonstrate to Intellectual Property rights holders both
home and abroad that the Liberia Intellectual Property Office is actively monitoring
and cracking down on intellectual property theft—sending a strong message of
intolerance—as well as promoting an ecosystem that respects intellectual
property rights. The strong enforcement during my administration is in
fulfillment of the President’s rule of law agenda. As you may be aware,
President Boakai is someone who has made respect for the rule of law a key
cornerstone of his administration’s development agenda and so at the Liberia
Intellectual Property office, we will support this vision through a strong and
robust Intellectual Property enforcement regime. The rule of law forms the
bedrock of any society committed to justice and fairness and so by working
closely with legal experts, law enforcement agencies, and international
partners, we will enhance our capacity to address infringement cases
effectively and ensure compliance with international standards. Ladies and
gentlemen, the vision I lay here is anchored on the goals of a Liberia where
creativity and innovation are national benefits. My administration, among other
initiatives to ensure that the President’s ARREST Agenda becomes a success,
will promote activities that ensure intellectual property can play a pivotal
role in promoting green technologies, waste management solutions, and
sustainable practices to ensure the Sanitation component of the President’s
Agenda becomes a success. My administration will incentivize inventors and
entrepreneurs so as to spur innovation in sanitation technologies while
safeguarding environmental innovations for the benefit of present and future
generations.

Lastly but not least, my administration will
work with the relevant government agency (ies) to elevate Liberia’s image
through Tourism. Tourism holds immense potential as a driver of economic growth
and cultural exchange. Through strategic branding initiatives, my
administration will help position Liberia as a premier tourist destination
known for its unique cultural heritage and natural attractions while attracting
investments in the tourism sector.

Ladies and gentlemen, I am aware that the road
ahead is long and the challenges are complex, but I am ready to tackle and
resolve the many problems that the Liberia Intellectual Property ecosystem
faces. This is why my vision’s central focus on

conducting a study to quantify the economic contribution of
intellectual property to the Liberian economy would be an eye-opener—leading to
the celebration of the transformative power of innovation and creativity.