IPKenya Ranked Among Top Sites for Intellectual Property in Africa

This blogger is pleased to learn that Nigerian Law Intellectual Property Watch (NLIPW) has ranked IPKenya among the “10 Useful Sites for Intellectual Property in Africa.” This recognition is an important endorsement of this blog’s status as a leading source of information and analysis on intellectual property (IP) in Africa, and particularly in Kenya.

Equally, this blogger is delighted to see that the only other Kenyan-based IP blog on the Top 10 list is none other than the CIPIT Law Blog! The CIPIT blog was founded as a result of this blogger’s involvement with Strathmore University (SU) and in particular, SU’s Law School.

This blogger is humbled to be among other well-known blogs and sites such as NLIPW, AfroIP and Africa Music Law™. Blogging is often not as easy as it appears to be, particularly on a technical area such as IP. In a recent chat with Ufuoma Akpotaire of NLIPW, this blogger expressed his frustration at the IP professionals in Kenya who do not publish anything online or offline on IP. Indeed it is disappointing that very few IP professionals are willing to write about or share their wealth of information on and experience in IP.

Therefore this blogger would like to share this NLIPW limelight with a few other sites and bloggers who have always endeavoured to share their views and perspectives on IP news and developments within Africa. Here goes:

Best Academic Blog on IP:

The Anton Mostert Chair of IP at Stellenbosch University – Big kudos to Prof. Dean and his Team who have consistently updated their blog with excellent articles on the topical IP issues of the day in South Africa including planpackaging, legislation on traditional knowledge, the draft national IP policy, among many others.

Best Niche Blogs related to IP:

Liz Lenjo’s Blog – Liz’s entertainment & IP law blog is regularly updated, informative and written in plain English – no legalese!

SNOLegal’s Blog – Sarah’s sports, entertainment & IP law blog is a must-read. Her recent fundraising campaign #SindikizaSNOLegal has been very inspiring to all young lawyers who are self-driven and motivated to succeed. Let’s all join the campaign and help SNOLegal get to Spain!

Best Law Firm Sites on IP:

It is a three-way tie between Spoor & Fischer, Edward Nathan Sonnenbergs and Adams & Adams (all South African), whose partners, directors and associates are constantly churning out quality updates on IP practice and insights on all areas of IP law. If only Kenyan law firms would borrow a leaf!

Honorary Mentions:

This blogger argues that Kenya Copyright Board (KECOBO) deserves special recognition for their active presence on social media, particularly twitter and facebook. In addition, it is noted that KECOBO have consistently published their quarterly newsletter “Copyright Newsletter” which has been an invaluable source of information on copyright and related rights administration and enforcement in Kenya.

In addition to KECOBO, this blogger would like to recognise CIPIT Director Isaac Rutenberg who joined the AfroIP blog team this year and has done a superb job of sharing his IP insights with readers all over the continent. A notable article penned by Rutenberg this past year is titled: “Faking it: time to rethink intellectual property in developing countries?” and was published in the Guardian here.

All in all, this blogger is grateful to NLIPW for recognising IPKenya’s contribution to IP development in Africa. Let’s make 2014 another memorable year for IP!