WHY BOTHER WITH INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS

WORLD INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY DAY 2022 REFLECTIONS

The 26th April of each year is known as World Intellectual Property Day, a day which has been designated by the United Nations agency, the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) to celebrate innovators and the role of intellectual property (IP) for innovation, whilst also raising awareness of the importance of IP. The theme for 2022 is “IP and Youth – Innovating for a Better Future.” This theme is relevant to the African continent given its youthful population coupled with the fact that the youth are “an incredible and largely untapped source of ingenuity and creativity.” Whilst the focus this year is to raise awareness amongst youth on IP, there is a real opportunity to also create broader awareness in society on what is IP and how it affects us in different areas of our lives. To that end, as we celebrate the “fresh perspectives, energy, curiosity and can do attitude, not to mention their hunger for a better future” of the youth, which according to WIPO are already reshaping approaches and driving