Bringing Judicial Officers Together to Share IP Knowledge: Judicial Colloquium for the Judiciary of Tanzania

More than 150 judges, resident magistrates, and registrars from the United Republic of Tanzania participated in a virtual Judicial Colloquium on Trademarks, Copyright and Mediation of IP Disputes offered by WIPO and the Judiciary of the United Republic of Tanzania from February 28 to March 2, 2023.

The Principal Judge of the High Court of the United Republic of Tanzania, the Honorable Justice Mustapher Mohamed Siyani, formally opened the colloquium, stressing that its goals are to "raise IP awareness among judicial officers in Tanzania, build judicial capacity on this crucial area, and provide a platform for discussions and exchange of experiences among judicial officers and prominent IP experts on the most pressing IP issues in Tanzania."

Over the course of three days, the program covered the main questions and issues that arise in courts regarding copyright and trademarks, the judicial role in IP, as well as mediation as an alternative dispute resolution mechanism. The participants benefited from the extensive expertise and IP knowledge from distinguished international speakers from Kenya, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America. Additionally, distinguished judges and magistrates from the United Republic of Tanzania shared their national IP legislation and jurisprudence and discussed the various topical issues related to the adjudication of IP disputes.

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This is part of an ongoing holistic judicial education program in IP for the Judiciary of the United Republic of Tanzania, that includes the participation of the judges and magistrates in the General Distance Learning Course on IP for Judges, the development of training materials, making available the leading IP judicial decisions in WIPO Lex-Judgments, and other judicial capacity-building activities.