Africa Update 2020 – Cape Verde

Treaties Joined

On 4 April 2019 Cape Verde took a monumental step in ensuring copyright protection for its authors by acceding to WIPO’s three main copyright treaties:

• The WIPO Copyright Treaty (“WCT”)
• The Performances and Phonograms Treaty (the “WPPT”)
• The Marrakesh Treaty to Facilitate Access to Published Works for Persons Who Are Blind, Visually Impaired or Otherwise Print Disabled (the “Marrakesh Treaty”)

Cape Verde’s instruments of accession were formally deposited with WIPO on 22 February 2019 and entered into force on 22 May 2019. The WCT and WPPT (together referred to as the “Internet Treaties”), as well as the Marrakesh Treaty, form the foundation of the current international copyright system.

This is an exciting development for Cape Verde, which has now formally entered the international creative digital marketplace as the 100th contracting party to the WIPO “Internet Treaties”. These treaties were implemented to supplement the existing WIPO copyright treaties. They will enable Cape Verde to respond competitively to developments in the digital sphere by supporting the expansion and protection of its online creative industries and authors alike, as well as to benefit disadvantaged persons and authors and the organisations that support these individuals.

We look forward to seeing how local copyright law will be modified to ensure that Cape Verde complies with the requirements of these treaties, not only to ensure that the rights of its authors are vindicated and protected but also to guarantee the growth and protection of local participants in the international digital economy.

KEY OPPORTUNITIES & CONCERNS

Opportunities

• While the islands are currently popular with European tourists, the tourism industry has not reached its full potential
• Fishery resources are plentiful, particularly lobster and tuna indigenous to the islands’ coastal waters
• New food-growing technologies if deployed can eliminate costly food imports

Concerns

• Water shortages have always been part of island life, and must be overcome for economic growth
• A shortage of skilled workers resulting from emigration, has complicated the establishment of local businesses that can in turn draw back immigrants
• Climate change’s effects of indigenous flora and fauna can harm tourism, while rising sea levels threaten to flood coastal areas where most people live