Luanda - Angola has said it supports the underway works carried out by the intergovernmental committee on intellectual property, genetic resources, traditional knowledge and cultural expressions, the director general of the Angolan Intellectual Property Institute (IAPI) Ana Paula Miguel has said.
Ana Miguel secured the Angolan support to the committee, while speaking at the 64th session of the general assembly of the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) taking place from July 6 to 14 in Geneva.
According to the Angolan official, there is a comprehensive and inclusive approach for the construction of consensual positions on issues related to intellectual property, with a view to adopting an international legal instrument at the diplomatic conference scheduled for 2024.
The IAPI director underlined that Angola recognises the importance of the work carried out by the committee for the development of the WIPO.
"I think that this committee should play a preponderant role in the implementation of the action plan for development", Miguel said.
Ana Paula Miguel added that issues such as technical assistance, capacity building and technology transfer should top the Organization's agenda, not only for the interest of Angola, but for all developing countries, particularly the least developed countries.
WIPO supports Angola
The director general of IAPI thanked WIPO for including Angola in the support package for the graduation process to a middle income country (MIC) with actions that aim to better prepare it for this new development condition.
Ana Miguel also thanked the Organization for the support given to the holding of the seminar held in March in Luanda, about the Patent Cooperation Treaty and the seminar for the judicial magistrates of the Comunity of Portugues Speaking Countries CPLP, in January, as well as the training program made available by the WIPO academy for the Member States, which allowed IAPI technicians to improve their skills.
Country implements IPAS system
According to Ana Paula Miguel, Angola started in 2022 the works for the implementation of the Industrial Property Administration System (IPAS), under the scope of the technical assistance programme that WIPO has been providing to the Member States.
Ana Miguel clarified that the aim is to speed up and increase the quality and modernisation of industrial property services, adjusting it to international standards.
She explained that the IAPI started the digitization of the processes in all protected modalities in 2023 to enable it to use the IPAS system.
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