LIPO Successfully Completed the Intellectual Property Management Clinic (IPMC) Project.

A representative of the World Intellectual Property Office (WIPO) has lauded the Liberia Intellectual Property Office (LIPO) for successfully implementing the Intellectual Property Management Clinic project.

Christopher Kalanje, Director of the Intellectual Property Division for Business at WIPO, said that he is expressed by the level of work that the Liberian team did during the course of the implementation of the project, and testimonials from participants are even more encouraging.

Kalanje, who is on a visit to Liberia to assess the level of work that LIPO is doing, noted at a press conference in Monrovia on Monday, “We want to say that the project overall has been a success because when we talk about the IP Management clinic, Liberia is one of the many countries which are involved in this.

“It is successful because the feedback we get from the participants in Liberia is good. It is very early to say the exact impact, but since we can say the initial impact and impression, we are well on the right track,” he added.

The IP Management Clinic project began in the second quarter of 2023 to address the issue of limited knowledge of intellectual property rights and management among SMEs across the country.

The overarching goal was to enhance SMEs’ understanding of the importance of Intellectual Property and its protections, and how they can document and analyze their IP management strategies throughout the innovation process, from ideation, development, manufacturing, and branding, to marketing.

The visiting IP expert is excited that the project is not only successful in Liberia but other African countries where it is also being implemented.

“We have another one that was completed in Kenya, and we have another, which is one point in South Africa and probably will be starting another one in a few months in Tanzania. So you see, in Africa, the project is catching up,” he said.

Kalanje noted that the role of WIPO in the project was first to provide the structure where the whole project would be undertaken. “And after providing the structure, we gave substantive backing to the SMEs.”

Garmai Koboi, LIPO Director General disclosed that throughout the project, there were 36 SME owners ranging from the Food Processing industries to Fashion design, who initially lacked a basic understanding of Intellectual Property Rights and management in their operations.

“However, this is no longer the case, as they have been vigorously trained not only to understand Intellectual Property but also how they can utilize it to improve their financial position and contribute to economic growth,” she said. “As we stand, we have at least three SME owners from the project who have protected their intellectual property rights, and about a dozen more have submitted applications for protection.”

The DG noted that LIPO is expecting more in the coming weeks as well. “This success is remarkable, as these SMEs are some of the country’s most promising,” she noted.

Years before the project, those SMEs had been operating without filing for applications because of the limited understanding their owners had about Intellectual Property protections. They were only cognizant of registering SMEs at the Liberia Business Registry Office, but not at the Liberia Intellectual Property Office (LIPO).

“So, the fact that we have granted certificates of registration to three SMEs from the project and that we are reviewing about a dozen applications from the participants, who never had an idea about what Intellectual Property is, is a clear manifestation that the project has been successful, meeting all its stated goals and objectives,” DG Koboi said.