DIPLOMATIC ENGAGEMENTS

Intellectual Property

The Kenya Mission to the United Nations Office in Geneva participates in the activities of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). WIPO is one of the 15 specialised agencies of the United Nations for intellectual property services, policy, information and cooperation. It was established in 1967 by a treaty. The self-funding agency has 191 Member States and Kenya has been a member since 1971. The organization strives to lead the development of a balanced and effective international intellectual property (IP) system that   enables innovation and creativity for the benefit of members.

The WIPO General Assembly is the apex body that meets once a year in Autumn to receive reports and make decisions on the 21 Assemblies of WIPO/Treaty bodies/Unions that administers 26 treaties of WIPO and other bodies. In the GA, Member States examine the progress in the Organization’s work and deliberate future policy directions.

WIPO has four Standing Committees (Industry Standing Committee on the Law of Patents (SCP), Standing Committee on the Law of Trademarks, Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights (SCCR), and Committee on WIPO Standards (CWS)) and four Permanent Committees (Programme and Budget Committee (PBC), Committee on Development and Intellectual Property (CDIP), Intergovernmental Committee on Intellectual Property and Genetic Resources, Traditional Knowledge and Folklore (IGC), and Advisory Committee on Enforcement (ACE)).

Kenya Copyright Board under the Office of the Attorney General and Kenya Industrial Property Institute under the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Cooperatives are the main administrators for intellectual property at the national level.

Websites:

WIPO, KECOBO, KIPI

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