Book Launch: Prof Caroline Ncube on African IP
14 April 2016 saw the launch of a “Intellectual Property Policy, Law and Administration in Africa: Exploring Continental and Sub-regional Co-operation – which provides a nexus between IP regulation and trade integration on the continent. This book formed part of the prestigious series published by Routledge, but it’s the first on Africa and written by an African. A proud UCT moment.
The book undertakes an impressive review of the legal framework and importantly IP enforcement in Africa, covering 54 countries. It looks at IP Policy, law and socio-economic goals, as well as thoughts on a pan African IP organisation – PIPO.
PIPO was first proposed in 2006 and ‘came to life’ in 2012. At the book launch there were people in the room who were very pro and very against PIPO. One of the drivers is to include major African economies South Africa and Nigeria in PIPO; these African powers are currently not part of regional IP organisations OAPI and ARIPO. But there must be more motivation than that! Caroline is not that keen on the idea of PIPO – she said in the last line of her book that no one Africa size fits all. One needs to acknowledge the socio-economic context and the unique circumstances of a country; this is the reason why there is no global IP policy.
Caroline felt that this book was her third child and not an easy child! Much focus has been on sub Saharan Africa, but this book goes way beyond – it looks at understanding other countries beyond this region and this is where its value lies.
There is a need for research to underpin policy development and this is where the IP Law Unit, headed by Dr Tobias Schonwetter, at UCT plays a critical role.
Caroline is a strong advocator of open access. She achieved the best of both worlds by blogging in parallel to her copyright protected book, ensuring maximum access. To learn more from Caroline visit: bit.ly/CNcubeOpenUCT and carolinebncube.wordpress.com and afro-ip.blogspot.co.za. Follow her on twitter: @carol_ncube