#ipkenya Weekly Dozen: 17/08

“M1L3L3” is “MILELE”, a Swahili word which means “Forever”

• Call for Articles – African Journal of Intellectual Property [Deadline Next Month]
• Respect for IP – Growing from the Tip of Africa: International Conference [Registration Open]
• Video: Using blockchain to prevent counterfeit drugs in Kenya [IBM Research]
• The African music industry is gaining global interest [Axios]
• Encourage imitation to boost creativity in Kenya [Captain Obvious]
• Why India’s IP policy needs a South African tweak [The Hindu]
• Adeokin v. MCSN: No CMO licence required for an exclusive licensee of copyright to enforce its licence [The 1709 Blog]
• In Case You Missed It: Kenya Patent Office is Publishing List of Expired KE Patents [Big 4 Agenda]
• South Africa: Department of Trade and Industry Film Incentive [DTI]
• The New Face of Creative Commons in Kenya [Shameless Plug]
• South Africa: IP Management and the Commercialization of Publicly Funded Research Outcomes [WIPO]
• Kenya: Request for Comments on the Proposed Privacy and Data Protection Policy and Bill, 2018 [Deadline Next Month]

For more news stories and developments, please check out #ipkenya on twitter and feel free to share any other IP/ICT-related items that you may come across.
Have a great week-end!

Behold, The Inter-Agency Anti-Illicit Trade Executive Forum and Technical Working Group

The recently formed Inter-Agency Anti-Illicit Trade clique sounds like it could have been a WhatsApp group. In last Friday’s Kenya Gazette, the Minister at the time announced the establishment and appointment of both an Inter-Agency Anti-Illicit Trade Executive Forum (23 members in total) and an Inter-Agency Anti-Illicit Trade Technical Working Group (24 members in total). The Executive Forum and Technical Working Group are apparently expected to deliver on the President’s Big 4 Agenda pillar of enhancing manufacturing so that the sector contributes 15% to the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) from 9.2% in 2016.

For the Second Time, Sony Trade Marks Case Goes to the Court of Appeal

Since 2014, we have chronicled on this blog here, here and here an interesting trade mark dispute in Kenya between local company Sony Holdings and Japanese electronics maker Sony Corporation. This blogger is reliably informed that an appeal has already been filed in the Court of Appeal against last month’s decision of the High Court in the reported case of Sony Corporation v Sony Holding Limited [2018] eKLR. In order to discern the likely grounds of appeal, it is important to consider this recent judgment made by the High Court.

Anti-Counterfeit Agency Insults Intelligence of Stakeholders at ‘Consultative Forum’ on Proposed IP Law

Seriously, if you’re a stakeholder of Anti-Counterfeit Agency (ACA), you should be very concerned about some of the dangerous signs that were on full display during the ACA ‘Stakeholders Consultative Forum on the Proposed Amendments of the Anti-Counterfeit Act, 2018: Towards Improving Service Delivery of the Big 4 Agenda’ held on 13 June 2018 at Boma Inn Hotel, Nairobi. These proposed legislative changes have been previously discussed on this blog here, here, here and here.

Legal Fraternity Slams ACA on Proposed Amendments to Anti-Counterfeit Act

In a recent article in the Business Daily titled: ‘Proposed law on counterfeits will hurt businesses’, the foremost intellectual property (IP) law practitioner in the country, William Maema, has faulted Anti-Counterfeit Agency (ACA) on its proposed amendments to Anti-Counterfeit Act previously discussed on this blog here, here and here. In his hard-hitting article, Maema notes:

‘Apart from the vainglorious step of christening the Anti-Counterfeit Agency (ACA) by renaming it the Anti-Counterfeit Authority ostensibly to raise its profile to that of premier parastatals such as the Kenya Revenue Authority, Kenya Airports Authority and Communications Authority of Kenya, the new proposals achieve little else that is praiseworthy. ‘

For Your Own Protection: Why Proposed Anti-Counterfeit Act Amendments Make Sense

The word ‘Disconnect’ (see caption image above) may be the title of the latest Kenyan blockbuster film but it also embodies the current raging debate over proposed changes to The Anti-Counterfeit Act No. 13 of 2008. In our previous blogposts here and here, we have largely dwelt on the demerits of the proposals contained in the Statute Law (Miscellaneous Amendments) Bill 2018, which if enacted, would radically affect intellectual property (IP) enforcement in Kenya, principally undertaken by Anti-Counterfeit Agency (ACA).

Meanwhile, some readers of this blog, who happen to be IP practitioners specialising in brand enforcement and anti-counterfeiting matters, have rightly pointed out that it is equally important to consider the merits of and benefits expected from the proposed changes to the Act if and when the omnibus Bill is enacted. In particular, this blogpost will focus on the proposals relating to offences and the ‘recordation’ requirements.

Anti-Counterfeit Agency Defends Flawed Proposals on Mandatory Intellectual Property Rights ‘Recordation’

Yesterday the Anti-Counterfeit Agency (ACA) posted this response in the comments section of our blogpost last week titled: ‘Controversial 2018 Proposed Amendments to The Anti-Counterfeit Act’. In the face of widespread criticism from intellectual property (IP) experts, ACA has defended its proposed amendments to the Anti-Counterfeit Act which, if enacted, would effectively introduce a system for mandatory ‘recordation’ of trade marks, copyright and plant breeders rights to be administered by ACA.

Prior to writing that blogpost, this blogger had reached out to ACA for an official comment asking the following question: ‘What is your response to public concerns about the implications of the draft amendments to your Act on 1) the mandates of Kenya Industrial Property Institute (KIPI) and Kenya Copyright Board (KECOBO); 2) ease of doing business in Kenya generally; 3) international best practice?’ All the various responses from ACA will be considered in this blogpost.

Controversial 2018 Proposed Amendments to The Anti-Counterfeit Act

The Statute Law (Miscellaneous Amendments) Bill, 2018 seeks to make various, wide-ranging amendments to existing intellectual property (IP) law-related statutes. The Bill contains proposed amendments to the following pieces of legislation: The Industrial Property Act, 2001 (No. 3 of 2001), The Copyright Act, 2001 (No. 12 of 2001), The Anti-Counterfeit Act, 2008 (No. 13 of 2008) and The Protection of Traditional Knowledge and Cultural Expressions Act, 2016 (No. 33 of 2016). The Memorandum of Objects and Reasons for the Bill is signed by Hon. Aden Duale, Leader of Majority in the National Assembly and it is dated 29 March 2018. This blogpost will focus on the proposed changes to The Anti-Counterfeit Act.

2018 Proposed Amendments to The Industrial Property Act

The Statute Law (Miscellaneous Amendments) Bill, 2018 seeks to make various, wide-ranging amendments to the existing intellectual property (IP) law-related statutes. The Bill contains proposed amendments to the following pieces of legislation: The Industrial Property Act, 2001 (No. 3 of 2001), The Copyright Act, 2001 (No. 12 of 2001), The Anti-Counterfeit Act, 2008 (No. 13 of 2008) and The Protection of Traditional Knowledge and Cultural Expressions Act, 2016 (No. 33 of 2016). The Memorandum of Objects and Reasons for the Bill is signed by Hon. Aden Duale, Leader of Majority in the National Assembly and it is dated 29 March 2018. This blogpost will focus on the proposed changes to The Industrial Property Act (IPA).

Proposed Amendments to Intellectual Property Laws in Kenya

On 11th November, 2016, pursuant to Special Issue of Kenya Gazette Supplement No.185 (National Assembly Bills No. 45) the Attorney General published the Statute Law (Miscellaneous Amendments) (No. 2) Bill 2016. It is recalled that this Bill is intended to “make minor amendments which do not merit the publication of separate Bills and consolidating them into one Bill”. The Bill proposes to amend several intellectual property (IP) laws including Industrial Property Act, 2001 (No. 3 of 2001), Copyright Act, 2001 (No. 12 of 2001) and Anti-Counterfeit Act, 2008 (No. 13 of 2008).