FOOTBALL AND IP IN AFRICA
The African Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournament is currently underway in Morocco showcasing soccer talents and competitiveness of 24 African countries. This 35th edition of the tournament has proceeded to knockout stage wherein 16 teams advanced to “Round of 16” knockout stage. Whilst these teams continue their quest to be crowned the African champions, we will on a lighter note share a bit about the IP regimes of these 16 countries. For obvious reasons we are starting with the host country, Morocco and the 4 countries (South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, and Tunisia) that have just been knocked out during Round of 16.
Morocco: Morocco is impressive not only on the soccer field, but also from an IP protection perspective. Morocco is a member of various IP international treaties and agreements which makes it possible for the country to provide for registration and protection of patents, trade marks, designs, plant breeders, domain names and copyright.
South Africa: South Africa has a good story to tell regarding soccer. The country hosted and won the 1996 AFCON and hence expectations were high for the team. From an IP perspective, the same high expectations are required of South Africa because the country is seen as a gateway to the continent. With a matured IP jurisprudence, South Africa is one of the African countries that provides quick grant of patents without substantive examination.
Sudan: Despite the turmoil in the country, Sudan continues to show a resilient character on the soccer field. The same can be said about the IP regime in Sudan. Sudan’s membership to the African Regional Intellectual Property Organization (ARIPO) enables the country to provide for a dual system for registration of IP rights. IP rights can be obtained via direct national filing or via ARIPO.
Tanzania: Does the Tanzania AFCON soccer team include Zanzibar? This is a commonly asked question in respect of the IP regime for Tanzania, do IP rights registered in Tanzania extend to the Island of Zanzibar? From an IP perspective, Tanzania comprises of two regions (Tanganyika and Zanzibar), and these regions have separate independent IP systems.
Tunisia: From 1996 AFCON runner- up to AFCON champions in 2004, during this period, Tunisia became a member of the Budapest treaty, Patent Cooperation Treaty and UPOV Convention for New Varieties of plants. In addition to these international agreements, Tunisia passed into law various IP legislations covering trade marks, patents, industrial and layout designs, literary and artistic property, and geographic indications.
Future updates on other countries will follow based on the fixtures of the tournament.
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