ROSEAU, Dominica, CMC – Dominica hosted a workshop earlier this week as part of efforts to develop a regime to protect intellectual property rights here.
The workshop, held Thursday, targeted customs and police officers and was conducted by officials from the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) in cooperation with USAID and the government of Dominica.
Mission director for USAID in Jamaica and the Caribbean Karen Turner told the opening ceremony that the time is ripe for Dominica to protect its intellectual property rights.
“Protection of intellectual property rights is essential to support Dominica’s businesses particularly in areas where Dominica has unique competitive advantage,” Turner said.
The seminar was held on the request of the government of Dominica and follows a series of law suits against the national radio station for piracy, and calls by entertainers for more to be done to protect their rights.
“Without an effective system for protecting and enforcing intellectual property rights, local knowledge, culture and products that may have taken many generations to develop, can easily be claimed by others who pattern these unique products in their own country,” Turner said.
She told Dominican entertainers that they could lose financially if they fail to protect their own rights.