Successful South-South Cooperation Match between DGIP Indonesia and ARIPO

The African Regional Intellectual Property Office (ARIPO) expressed interest in: (1) developing a regional copyright database which will provide a platform which will be used by Member States in the development of copyright in the respective countries and to share information for the growth of IP in Africa; (2) developing a comprehensive collection of traditional knowledge data in the region assisting members to prevent misappropriation of traditional knowledge and expressions of folklore; to carry out advanced research; and to use commercial use of traditional knowledge under prior informed consent and access and the benefit of sharing agreement.

Since 2002 the members of the African Regional Intellectual Property Office (ARIPO) have agreed to extend the organization’s mandate to include Copyrights and Related Rights as substantial and strategic step facing the development of a Database and Platform where assigned login credentials will be given to all members, to access, exchange, communicate and post information in favor of the members. Until the time being, this initiative is not satisfied due to a need for technical cooperation and financing.

Secondary to this initiative, during the Diplomatic Conference on the Protection of Traditional Knowledge and Expressions of Folklore held on August 29, 2010 at Swakopmund, Nambia, ARIPO has identified the need to create a comprehensive database collecting traditional knowledge and expression of folklore from members, in this way relate the database with IP searching engines to avoid misappropriation, limit exploitation of resources, but moreover to detonate development and economic growth by identifying and executive efficient IP and commercialization strategies of regional intangible assets.

The Directorate General of Intellectual Property (DGIP), Indonesia has been proactive promoting the development of South-South Cooperation IP partnerships to strengthen the ties and endeavors of making innovation more efficient in southern economies.

Match Potential:  To become Category 2 (Match between more than two partners) by expressing explicit mutual interest to cooperate in joint activities in different areas of IP, including an official visit of DG ARIPO to DGIP Indonesia, with the view to develop effective IP infrastructures to boost economic growth at national and international level. .

Match:  Signing of an MoU between ARIPO and DGIP to establish DGIP’s offer to ARIPO on a pro-bono basis a software for the electronic registration system for copyright works, and a software for the electronic registration system for GRTKF with user guidelines in English and technical advice and expertise in implementing the systems.

Follow-Ups: ARIPO and DGIP expressed mutual interest to cooperate in joint activities in different areas of IP, including an official visit to Jakarta of DG ARIPO to DGIP Indonesia, with the view to boost economic growth between ARIPO Member States and Indonesia through IP and innovation projects with mutual benefits.