Monday 12 May 2008

Darren Olivier

Challenges to IP rights enforcement in Nigeria

Sade Laniyan of Jackson Etti & Edu writing for World Trademark Report on an IP session entitled "Enforcement of IP Rights in a Globalized Economy" held on March 27 2008 during the Third Business Law Conference of the Nigerian Bar Association summarises that there are a number of challenges to IP rights enforcement in Nigeria such as:



* a lack of relevant case law;

* insufficient numbers of interpreters (where the infringers are non-English speakers);

* the limited effect of interlocutory orders;

* the lack of public awareness (about counterfeiting and IP rights);

* the fact that all operations at the registry are performed manually; and

* the lack of public confidence in the various mechanisms for the enforcement of IP rights.

Afro-IP hopes to do its part to help overcome some of the challenges by faciliting comment and access to information about IP enforcement in Nigeria and elsewhere in Africa.

Darren Olivier

Darren Olivier

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