Creating Value from IP in South Africa

On August 28, 2024, WIPO, in cooperation with the Companies and Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC), upskilled potential beneficiaries of the Inventor Assistance Program (IAP) through an interactive event in South Africa.

During the event, participants heard from the experts about the importance of protecting their ideas with intellectual property (IP) and opportunities offered by the IAP in South Africa, with the emphasis on patents and designs protection, considering that last year the country extended the IAP pro bono assistance to functional design applications.

In her opening remarks, Mavis Nyatlo, Divisional Manager, Patents, Designs, Innovation Support and Protection Division, CIPC, thanked the Program’s partners and volunteers for the continued support in implementing the IAP in South Africa, and underlined the importance of the IAP for South Africa as the Program “is designed to empower innovators by providing them with pro bono assistance to enable them to successfully bring their creations to the market, and we want to transform the South African economy through intellectual property. However, we have come to realize that not everyone has access to the patent system.”

Welcoming the audience on behalf of WIPO, Allison Mages, Head, IP Commercialization Section, IP for Innovators Department, IP and Innovation Ecosystems Sector, emphasized that the IAP “isn’t just a service – it’s a revolution. It’s our commitment to ensuring that no brilliant idea ever goes unheard, that no visionary inventor ever stands alone”, and underlined the invaluable role of inventors: “And you, the inventors joining us today – you’re not just participants in a webinar. You are the architects of tomorrow. Your restless minds and tireless hands are sculpting the future we all will inhabit. The challenges you tackle today will become the solutions we all benefit from tomorrow”. She also expressed gratitude to South African volunteers stressing that they are “the guardians of South Africa’s innovative future”, and that their dedication “is the bridge between ideas and impact, between potential and progress”.

The key speaker of the event – Bontle Chokoe, IP Attorney at Tshaya Mashabela Attorneys, enlightened participants on practical aspects of different IP forms available to South African innovators for protecting their ideas, with the emphasis on patents and designs protections.

The program of the event also included the element of a quiz show, when the inventors where able to provide their answers to patent related questions, and the winner got a prize – a free consultation with a patent attorney.

Learn more about the Inventor Assistance Program

Visit the Program’s IAP Online Platform to learn more about how to apply as an inventor or become a volunteer of the program.