Ms. Gamai Koboi, the Director General of Liberia's Intellectual Property Office (LIPO) has plans to address the country's lack of data on the impact of intellectual property (IP) on the economy.
In a recent interview, Ms. Koboi said Liberia has had various development plans and sectorial policies implemented over the last 20 years. However, IP has not been properly addressed in these developments. She believes that this could be due to that the lack of information relating to the tangible benefits that IP has had on the country. In order to address this issue, Ms. Koboi proposed that studies be conducted to quantify the contributions of IP to the country's GDP and the influence it has on poverty and employment rates. The data that is collected through these studies will then be used as a basis for policy decisions and regulations relating to IP in the future.
Further, Ms. Koboi plans to modernise the operating systems at the LIPO. She believes that the current "outdated and time-consuming" system is one of the primary reasons why IP applications in Liberia have been considerably low. The plan appears to be to move away from the paper-based filing system and find a simplified solution that will expedite the application process, reduce administrative requirements and allow applicants to track their applications from anywhere in the world.
Ms. Koboi has not provided a date on when the studies should begin, but is committed to having it finalised before the end of 2024.
Source: LIPO Director General Unveils "Ambitious Vision" (liberianobserver.com)
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