KINGSTON, Jamaica (JIS) – The Jamaica Intellectual Property Office (JIPO) will be staging a number of activities to mark Intellectual Property (IP) week from, Sunday April 24 to Friday, April 29.

Speaking in an interview with JIS News, Copyright and Related Rights Manager at JIPO, Sophia Clarke said the week is being celebrated to increase public awareness about the protection and rights of people’s creativity and invention.

The week starts with a church service on Sunday, at the New Transformed Life Church located at the Police Officers Club, 34 Hope Road Kingston 5.

The observance will continue on Monday, April 25 with the acknowledgement of ‘World Book and Copyright Day’ and a Copyright Seminar at JIPO, 18 Trafalgar Road offices.

Clarke shared that the seminar will focus on, the Marrakesh Treaty; which addresses the improved access to copyrighted works for people who are visually impaired; and the Beijing Treaty, which has created a new layer of monopoly rights for the creators of audiovisual works.

Other activities include an ‘Open House’ and acknowledgement of ‘World Intellectual Property Day’ on Tuesday, April 26 at JIPO.

She explained that the open house is to facilitate questions about laws that can protect original concepts and prevent it from being exploited by others without the owner’s permission.

On Tuesday, there will be presentations from JIPO, the IP arm of the Counter Terrorism, Organized Crime Division in the Jamaica Constabulary Force (C-TOC) and the Jamaica Customs Agency about infringement and enforcement of IP laws.

On Wednesday, April 27, focus will be placed on ‘Entrepreneurship Day’ under the theme ‘Idea to Enterprise’ with emphasis on how to earn from inventions to become successful entrepreneurs. This will be held at the Ministry of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries located at 4 St. Lucia Avenue.

“We have called on successful entrepreneurs; people who have moved their idea to a successful business, to share their journey,” Clarke noted.

On Thursday, April 28 the JIPO team will view material that was seized by the C-TOC, and has been ordered to be destroyed by the Court. The week will end on the Friday, April 29, with an outreach at Calvary Missionary Church Hall in Highbury Crescent, St. Thomas.

Members of the public are being invited to visit the JIPO office to get information about intellectual property rights and attend the list of activities planned during the week.

“If you are the first to write, build or come up with an idea, then the week of activities should appeal to you,” Clarke said.

Intellectual Property refers to the legal rights granted to owners and inventors of work which results from intellectual activity in the scientific, industrial, literary, artistic, musical, and dramatic field.

JIPO is an agency of the Government of Jamaica, which registers trademarks, patents of creative work.