Intellectual Property Conference KAMPALA

From the 17th - 19th of July 2009, S.L. d'Souza of Ofamfa New Media was a resource person and Cultural Production expert, recruited for TradeCOM, EDF and IIAS' WORKSHOP ON JUDICIAL ADMINISTRATION AND THE INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY FRAMEWORK IN UGANDA. The high level conference took place at the Imperial Royale hotel in Kampala, Uganda and attended by heads of varied government and non-government organizations including UNESCO. The workshop was spearheaded by Professor Ruth Okediji, Minnesota Law University and other members of the International Institute for Advanced Studies in Cultures, Institutions and Economic Enterprise (IIAS).

The workshop forms part of the the Technical Assistance to the Uganda Ministry of Tourism, Trade and Industry in the Area of Intellectual Property Rights, A TradeCom facility project with reference number 9.ACP.RPR.007 and sponsored by the 9th European Development Fund(EDF). The three days workshop was attended by members of the following diverse institutions in Uganda - Advocates Coalition for Development and Environment; Committee on Tourism, Trade and Industry, Parliament of Uganda; Crafts Village Members(National Theatre, Bat Valley and Buganda Road); Handcrafts Associations; Legal Committee, Parliament of Uganda; Makerere University; Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries; Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Affairs; Ministry of Tourism, Trade and Industry; National As- Association of Women Organisations; Private Sector Foundation Uganda; Uganda Barkcloth Traders Association; Uganda Forestry Research Institute; Uganda Judicial Studies Institute; Uganda Law Reform Commission; Uganda Law Society; Uganda National Bureau of Standards; Uganda National Chamber of Commerce and Industry; Uganda National Commission for UNESCO; Uganda Registration Services Bureau; Uganda Revenue Authority; AND the Uganda Women Entrepreneurs Association.

Professor Okediji

The Honourable Chief Justice B. J. Odoki formally opened the workshop on the 14th of July, 2009 at the plush Gardenia Hall of the Royale Imperial Hotel located in the city centre of Kampala. His participation was exemplary and stimulated the gathering with his personal and poignant discourse. He called the workshop “a timely engagement” and commended Professor Okediji and her team. A highly strategic crop of presentations where shown to the participants, affording all and sundry to take in-depth assessments at relevant Intellectual Property Rights projects. New Media and Cultural Production expert S.L. d’Souza also presented a visual array of relevant Intellectual Property Rights violations and misappropriation. With multimedia and audio visual elements, he showed the participants, cases of Ugandan traditional knowledge misappropriated in commercial works and featured on very well known international entertainers merchandise. Participants were very pleased with the visual evidence of the case studies and continually thanked the team for this generous effort. See IIAS for a detailed report.