Minister calls for joint fight against counterfeits

Dec 09, 2009

THE war against counterfeits, piracy and infringement on property rights needs concerted efforts, the deputy attorney general has said.

By Patrick Jaramogi
THE war against counterfeits, piracy and infringement on property rights needs concerted efforts, the deputy attorney general has said.

“The priority of poor nations is to ensure that poverty is reduced. This needs to be done by ensuring that intellectual property rights are safeguarded,” Fred Ruhindi said.

“Uganda has sought to have intellectual property rights strengthened by tabling the copyright Bill,” said Ruhindi, who is also the justice state minister.

He was speaking at the opening of a workshop on the World Intellectual Property Organisation at the Imperial Royale Hotel in Kampala on Tuesday.

The two-day event that attracted delegates from Tanzania, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Malaysia, Ethiopia, Mozambique, Zambia and Lesotho seeks to strengthen measures of safeguarding intellectual property rights for African member countries.

Dr. Maxwell Otim Onapa, an official of the Uganda National Council for Science and Technology, urged industrialists to appreciate the role played by scientists who spend a lot of time and resources on research.

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