SOLOMON ISLANDS REVIEW DRAFT INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS

Law poster. Photo credit: www.africanelections.org

Law poster. Photo credit: www.africanelections.org

Solomon Islands is in the process of reviewing its draft intellectual property strategy in a push to modernise the country’s protection laws.

The protection law date back to the early 1900’s.

Ministries of Justice, Tourism and Foreign Affairs are currently pitching into the project with Intellectual property rights experts and a representative from the World Intellectual Property Organisation.

The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Justice and Legal Affairs, Freddy Me’esa, explains this is crucial as there is an urgent need to protect Solomon Islanders and their culture, traditional knowledge and practices from exploitation in this Internet age.

Mr Me’esa says the overall strategic objective is for Solomon Islands to create, protect, manage and use intellectual property as strategic tools for the economic social and technological development of the country.

Radio New Zealand International reports Mr Me’esa as saying, getting a bill before parliament may be a while away but he is hoping the country can gain membership to the World Intellectual Property Organisation and sign up to the respective Berne and Paris intellectual and industrial property protection treaties this year.

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