Namibia

The Namibia Revenue Agency, NAMRA, has set a goal of reaching full digitisation within the next 4 years. This will eliminate the need for customers to seek in-person consultations and will allow NAMRA to become paperless. The digitisation process will require integration with several other institutions such as banks, the Business and Intellectual Property Authority […]

Namibia is set to make history with its first export consignment under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). Local businesses with consignments ready for shipment this month are being encouraged by the Namibia Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NCCI) to take part in this initiative. Exports will be sent through Walvis Bay or by […]

Earlier this month, Namibia became the first ARIPO member state to ratify the Kampala Protocol on the voluntary registration of Copyright and Related Rights. The Business and Intellectual Property Authority (BIPA) recently announced that Namibia has become the first of the 22 member states to ratify the Kampala Protocol, speaking to the commitment of the […]

In further news from Namibia, Partners against Piracy, an initiative spearheaded by MultiChoice, has now launched in Namibia. The initiative, which aims to reduce content piracy, involves a partnership with the Business and Intellectual Property Authority (Bipa), the Namibia Investment Promotion and Development Board (NIPDB), Namibia Film Commission (NFC) and Co-Creation Hub. The event included […]

Some of our readers may be aware of long-running discussions regarding the implementation of data protection legislation in Namibia. These efforts culminated in the publication of a Draft Data Protection Bill (2022) by the Namibian Ministry of Information and Communication Technology. The latest Bill was published for consultation and public comment in October 2022. However, […]

Over the years, WIPO has been assisting African countries in developing IP policies and innovation ecosystems. Namibia is one of the countries collaborating with WIPO. This collaboration resulted in WIPO’s Director General, Daren Tang visiting Namibia to pledged WIPO’s continued support for strengthening Namibia’s innovation ecosystem. The two- day visit enabled the Director General to […]

On 10 November 2022, a virtual workshop hosted by the Business and Intellectual Property Authority (BIPA) together with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) was held with a specific focus on the inclusion of copyright levies in the Draft Copyright Bill in Namibia. The overhaul of Namibian copyright legislation is in response to the worldwide […]

Anti-counterfeiting training During May 2019, we travelled to both Windhoek and Walvis Bay to conduct Brand Identification Training with officials of the Namibian Ministry of Finance, Department of Customs and Excise. Two separate sessions were conducted in Windhoek and Walvis Bay, the initial session a theoretical one focusing on identification of counterfeit goods and the […]

In 2018, the Namibian High Court issued a decision in favour of the Applicants, Southern Sun Africa (First Applicant) & Southern Sun Hotel Interests (Pty) Limited (Second Applicant), on the basis of passing-off and copyright infringement, against Sun Square Hotel (Pty) Limited (Respondent), a Namibian company. The First Applicant, Southern Sun Africa, a Mauritian company, […]

Author: Kareema Shaik The Namibian High Court recently issued a decision (read the decision here) dealing with passing-off and copyright infringement in the matter of Southern Sun Africa (First Applicant) & Southern Sun Hotel Interests (Pty) Limited (Second Applicant) and Sun Square Hotel (Pty) Limited (Respondent). The Applicants form part of the well-known South African […]