Tanzanian Judiciary Enhance IP Expertise with the WIPO Academy
November 28, 2023
More than 250 Tanzanian judges and magistrates have successfully completed the WIPO Academy's tailor-made online course on intellectual property (IP) for judges. After completing the course, the judges and magistrates will use the knowledge and skills gained when cases of IP disputes arise, and to ultimately strengthen IP jurisprudence in the country.
The United Republic of Tanzania is the second WIPO Member State to benefit at such a rate from the WIPO Academy General Distance Learning Course on IP for Judges (JTIP).
What is the JTIP course?
The course was designed by judges for judges to address core IP issues in the evolving legal landscape, explained with real-world cases. The topics covered in the JTIP course include:
- Copyright and related rights ;
- Trademarks;
- Patents;
- Geographical indications;
- Trade secrets; and
- Industrial designs.
The JTIP course is a pioneering initiative of the WIPO Academy that equips judiciaries with the knowledge and skills needed to adjudicate IP disputes effectively. The United Republic of Tanzania plans to translate the course into Swahili and customize the content to Tanzanian legislation in 2024.
In the margins of the WIPO IP Judges Forum, representatives from the high court of Tanzania awarded the WIPO Academy with tributes on November 13, 2023 for the support offered to the Tanzanian judiciary through the JTIP course.
I am immensely grateful to the WIPO Academy for offering the Distance Learning Course on IP for Judges. This course is well designed to suit the legal system of all jurisdictions. I am very happy to be one of the participants who successfully graduated from this high level course. I have acquired in-depth knowledge on all key areas of IP including practical experiences from selected landmark cases. My special thanks and profound appreciation go to the leadership of the Judiciary of the United Republic of Tanzania for their dedication and commitment to building judicial capacity in the area of IP. The Distance learning course for Judges has strengthened IP jurisprudence in the country.
Hon. Upendo L. Ngitiri, Senior Resident Magistrate at the Judiciary of the United Republic of Tanzania