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Within the context of its Development Cooperation activities with Malawi, the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) has been providing technical assistance for the elaboration of an intellectual property (IP) policy and strategy for the country since 2010.
In October 2013, WIPO contracted two international and one local consultant to review the existing draft national IP policy, assess the prevailing IP system and IP needs of the country and present a framework for the formulation of strategies. The assignment was carried out and the preliminary findings were presented to a Multi-stakeholders meeting on October in Blantyre. See attached mission report.
The Workshop came out with a number of recommendations and follow-up actions which included among others:
– The need to finalize the national IP policy for Malawi;
– Upon receipt of the Consultants’ report and draft IP strategy, WIPO is to share the documents with the Malawi Government preferably before the end of 2013;
– The Registrar General’s Department, Ministry of Justice, to take the leadership role in the process and convene the multi-sectorial national committee before the end of 2013, to review the draft IP policy and strategy taking into consideration the Consultants’ Report; and
– WIPO to provide support in organizing a Multi-stakeholders Meeting for validation of the national IP policy and strategy in the first quarter of 2014.
The multi-sectorial national committee was constituted in December 2013, and WIPO transmitted the Consultants’ report and draft IP strategy to the Malawi government in February 2014 for their consideration and in-put. Thereafter, due to a number of unforeseen factors which included, political changes in the country and change of management in the IP office, the process stalled. In June 2015, the Malawi government informed WIPO of
Mr. Chapusa Phiri’s appointment as the new Registrar General. The news of his appointment was well received by |