Ghana gallops in intellectual property right protection

Accra, May 12, GNA - Ghana has advanced her enforcement in Intellectual Property Right (IPR) Protection within the last six years, Ms Gretchen Krantz Evans, Trade Specialist, at the US Embassy said in Accra on Thursday.

She said Ghana's current IPR protection had comprehensive regulations that gave confident to foreign investors. Ms Evans pointed out that Ghana had enforcement systems such as the Registrar General's Department, the High Court, Customs Division of Ghana Revenue Authority, the Commercial Crime Unit, Ghana Police Service, Food and Drugs Board and Ghana Standards Board.


She was addressing participants at a workshop to educate the media on IPR Protection in Ghana. It was to collate information on IPR protection in Ghana for investors and provide information to consumers, while creating more avenues to local companies to generate more employment avenues. However, Ms Evans said the only challenge for Ghana was how to be abreast with the fast technological challenges in the world.


"It is difficult keeping abreast with technological changes, technology is a big challenge," she said. Ms Evans called on agencies responsible for enforcing IPR laws to do so because the tendency of breaking these regulations were high, and their enforcement would be effective when more resources were committed to it.

She explained that IPR was any innovation commercial or artistic or unique name, symbol, logo or design used for commercial purposes. Ms Evans said IPR was protected by patent on inventions, trade marks on branding devices, copyrights on music, videos, patterns and other forms or expressions and trade secrets for methods or formulas having economic value and used for commercial purposes.


Ms Heather Byrnes, Commercial Counsellor at US Embassy said Ghana was a shining star in Africa as a fast growing economy and good business destination. She noted that when IPR was strengthened it would create fertile business climate for local and foreign businesses.