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The African Regional Intellectual Property Organisation (ARIPO), in collaboration with the Intellectual Property Rights & Innovation (AfrIPI) project, is set to announce the winners of its inaugural ARIPO Intellectual Property (IP) Journalists Awards competition, launched earlier this year.
ARIPO launched the initiative, the first of its kind in Africa, to promote IP storytelling on the continent.
In a statement, ARIPO said the awards aim to promote intellectual property by recognizing the work of journalists in Africa in educating and raising public awareness about the benefits of IP protection.
"The aim is to encourage quality journalism by recognizing its excellence in shaping core values and attitudes and to highlight emerging issues related to intellectual property rights in Africa," ARIPO notes.
For the inaugural competition, ARIPO invited journalists from its 22 member states, of which Kenya is one, to submit their entries. The window for submissions closed on 14 September, with the competition moving to the next round where the entries will be analyzed and shortlisted by a panel of IP experts.
"The competition highlights the crucial role of journalists in educating the public about the benefits and importance of IP protection. By honoring outstanding journalism, ARIPO and AfrIPI aim to encourage high-quality reportage that shapes positive attitudes towards IP and addresses emerging issues related to IP rights in Africa" ARIPO added.
The judging panel will evaluate entries based on several criteria, including the ability to simplify complex IP issues for public understanding, effectively explore the role of IP in everyday life, and make connections between IP and current social and economic trends.
ARIPO notes that IP enforcement in Africa continues to face several challenges, including the need for development agendas and science, technology, and innovation frameworks.
The launch of the competition comes at a time when Kenya is witnessing a surge in court cases over copyright infringement, with the most recent battle involving actress Foi Wambui and Chinese smartphone company Oppo Kenya, who are being accused by singer Mutoriah of using his song 'Beta' in an advertisement promoting the Oppo Reno 12 5G device without his consent.
For the competition, a cash prize of US$6,000 (Ksh770,000) has been set aside for the three finalists.
ARIPO is an intergovernmental organization that facilitates cooperation among member states in intellectual property matters, while AFrIPI is a pan-African project that aims to assist the European Union in the administration, exploitation, protection, and enforcement of intellectual property rights throughout Africa.
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