By Robert A. Emmanuel
As Antigua and Barbuda joined with other countries globally in celebrating World Intellectual Property Day yesterday, Technical Officer in the Antigua and Barbuda Intellectual Property and Commerce Office (ABIPCO), La-Chelle Carter, called for the public to respect the intellectual works of others.
Intellectual Property Day 2023 was celebrated under the theme “Women and IP: Accelerating innovation and creativity” which — according to the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) — is about celebrating “women who are shaping the world through imagination, ingenuity and hard work, but face challenges in accessing the knowledge, skills, and resources they need to thrive”.
Carter noted that despite the ease of access which the internet offers to musical and artistic works, there needs to be a level of ethical respect for the dedication of others in producing their work.
“Considering that technology is evolving, and it is easier to access, sometimes we think buying a CD off the street is legal, but that is a copyright infringement and may compromise the work of that person who would have worked so hard to create this piece.
“We, as a public, need to understand the effort that has gone into someone’s work and to respect it,” she said.
She encouraged persons who have an idea or work to have them registered with the copyright office.
“Many instances, we see persons have amazing business names but when we look into the registry, they have identical or similar names to those registered, so those within the registry have a legal standing while those who are not registered do not … it is so important to protect your intellectual property,” she said.
Carter said that ABIPCO and WIPO have begun to examine an innovative way to “develop a system record copyright”.
“Countries around the world do not have a physical copyright registry because copyright is automatic, meaning a lot of people can create works and it can be attributed to themselves, and how do you register the litany of works that people may have?
“So, we are asking people to go through the process of copyright [protection],” she explained.
