Description

This handbook presents information on intellectual property (IP) strategies in selected African countries. Scholars agree that a nation’s IP strategy can be evaluated based on five key parameters. The first is whether the strategy promotes awareness of the IP system. The second is whether countries aim to use IP for trade, in other words, to promote the commercialization of nationally generated innovations. The third is whether a national IP policy provides a legal and institutional framework for IP exploitation. The fourth is whether the policy reduces protection of foreign IPs to allow nationals to benefit from them. The fifth is whether the strategy enables national research and academic institutions to effectively manage IP matters. These parameters can also serve as a guide in preparing an IP strategy. The handbook is therefore useful even for countries not directly covered, offering valuable insights for stakeholders such as national IP offices, academia, public and private research institutions, businesses, and IP advocates in developing IP strategies at both national and institutional levels.