The Department of Trade and Industry (the dti) in partnership with the Company and Intellectual Property Registration Office (CIPRO), will be celebrating Intellectual Property (IP) Day, at the dti Campus in Sunnyside, Pretoria, on Friday, 17 July 2009, from 09h00 to 15h00. Members of the public are invited to participate in the festivities.
The event will celebrate human creativity, by acknowledging the socio-economic importance of respecting and protecting IP rights, and encouraging innovation and ingenuity. It will also examine South Africa's IP outlook going forward, the relevance and impact of patents, copyright, trademarks and industrial designs on small business, from historical, traditional and legislative perspectives. South Africa, a signatory to the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO), participated in the global recognition of IP for the first time in 2001. This year's event will mark the eighth occasion of this nature. The theme for this year's IP Day is 'The Benefits of IP Rights Protection in South Africa'.
The celebrations will be in the form of exhibitions, interactions and free intellectual advice and information from industry stakeholders and legal experts. The Director-General of the dti, Tshediso Matona, and Chief Operations Officer of CIPRO Ms Melanie Bernard Fryer, will address those gathered to mark the occasion.
On IP Day 2009, South Africa will celebrate not only the enormous power of human creativity, but also the IP rights that help to fuel and channel it, making it an important driving force for socio-economic and cultural development. The country will also pay tribute to the investors and artists who enrich the country's existence, through social and cultural development and economic liberation, with the fruits of their innovative thoughts and creative vision.
The 17 July celebrations will bring together a number of stakeholders affected by IP protection, including law enforcement agencies and role-players in the intellectual property industry. These include the Centre for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Recording Industry of South Africa (RISA), South African Revenue Service (SARS) and South African Police Service (SAPS).
For more information:
Bongani Lukhele
Tel: 012 394 1643
Cell: 078 526 8572
E-mail: BLukhele@thedti.gov.za
Lillian Mofokeng
Chief Director
Cell: 082 888 8362
E-mail: lmofokeng@thedti.gov.za
Issued by: Department of Trade and Industry
15 July 2009
Source: Department of Trade and Industry (http://www.dti.gov.za)
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