Inês Tavares
Uganda is located at the heart of sub-Saharan Africa and is bordered by South Sudan, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Its location makes it a strategic base for trade and therefore very attractive for potential investors as an emerging market. However, companies interested in entering the Ugandan market should seek IP protection beforehand, as it is common for third-party distributors to take advantage of new businesses and register their trademarks in bad faith, resulting in the unlawful use of marks and the creation of counterfeit products.
International treaties and protocols
Since 2000 Uganda has been a member of the Banjul Protocol of the African Regional Intellectual Property Organisation (ARIPO), which means that trademarks can be filed regionally. However, Uganda has not ratified the Banjul Protocol. Therefore, it is not recommended to take this route over the national one, since it
EU and India could partner in delivering COVID vaccines at the global scale
DISCLAIMER: All opinions in this column reflect the views of the author(s), not of EURACTIV Media network. 11-02-2021
Afghan health workers unload the first shipment boxes of Covid-19 coronavirus vaccine donated by the Indian government, at the Kabul airport on 7 February 2021. Afghanistan received 500,000 doses of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine from India on 7 February, the first to arrive in the country. [Hedayatullah Amid/EPA/EFE]
Vials of Covid-19 vaccines in Lima, Peru. － Reuters
Twenty-eight organisations, including the Consumers Association of Penang (CAP), and three community activists are calling for Malaysia to join other developing countries in a global effort to remove monopolies on crucial medical products in the fight against Covid-19.
A letter was sent to Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin last week as members of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) continue discussions of a proposal to temporarily suspend implementation, application and enforcement of several parts of the WTO’s intellectual property agreement for a defined period.
This move will open the door to more research and development as well as production of needed Covid-19 medical products – diagnostic kits, medicines for treatment, vaccines and also personal protective gear.
When asked about the proposed mini trade deal with the US, Goyal said "we have" to wait for the new USTR (United States Trade Representative) to come in and they have to hear from the new administration about the deal.
RCEP: What does it mean for future Asia-Pacific trade and U.S. companies operating in the region?
After eight years of back-and-forth negotiations, Asia’s Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership on Trade (RCEP), the world’s largest regional trade agreement, was signed in an online ceremony on 15 November 2020. While more limited than the U.S.-led Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP-12) and its successor, the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), it is a major regional free trade agreement that poses challenges for the United States, which opted out of TPP-12 and CPTPP and was not part of RCEP, and could displace some U.S. exports to the region.