Local key stakeholders handling Intellectual Property Rights, met this week, to address issues concerning certain types of counterfeit goods that are entering the country as well as protection of registered intellectual property rights in Seychelles.
It was pointed out that whilst Seychelles have laws which protect Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) nationally, mainly the Industrial Property Act 2014, the Copyright Act of 2014 and S.I 42 of 2014 of the Customs Management Regulations, nonetheless, implementation and enforcement remain a challenge and as a consequence there exist an urgency to enhance existing frameworks and capacity, to tackle the issue of counterfeit goods, in particular for goods that may carry risks to the health and safety of consumers.
The meeting acknowledged the need to:
identify key stakeholders to assist with further implementation of protecting Intellectual Property rights
draft an Action Plan on the way forward in relation to the sensitization on IPRs implementation in Seychelles
identify technical assistance needs for identification of counterfeit goods at the border by Custom Division.
start a discussion nationally on how as a country we address this issue of counterfeit goods.
The stakeholders present in that meeting were Mr. Francis Lebon- Principal Secretary of Trade Department, Ms. Cecile Kalebi- Principal Secretary of the Seychelles National Institute for Culture, Heritage and the Arts, Mrs. Wendy Pierre, Registrar General of the Registration Division, Mr. Paul Barrack- Commissioner of Customs, as well as representatives from the Seychelles Licensing Authority (SLA), the Seychelles Authors and Composer Society (SACS) and staff of the Trade Department and Registration Division.
The key stakeholders met at the Trade Department at Maison Esplanade on Thursday 13th October 2022 to discuss these Intellectual Property Rights issues.