The JPO held bilateral meetings with several African IP offices

November 13, 2024

Mr. YASUDA Futoshi, Deputy Commissioner of the Japan Patent Office (JPO), held bilateral meetings with the heads of the African Regional Intellectual Property Organization (ARIPO)*¹, the Kenya Industrial Property Institute (KIPI), and the Cabo Verde Institute for Quality Management and Intellectual Property (IGQPI) during his attendance at the 48th Session of the Administrative Council*² of ARIPO in Maseru, Lesotho.

During each meeting, Mr. YASUDA confirmed JPO’s continued cooperation in the field of intellectual property with the African countries through support utilizing Funds-in-Trust Japan Industrial Property Global, which is a voluntary contribution made by the JPO to the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), as well as through human resource development initiatives such as training invitation programs.

The JPO will continue to develop and improve an environment wherein the IP rights of companies are promptly and smoothly secured and then appropriately protected in Africa. To do so, we will continue promoting cooperation with the IP Offices in African countries.

*1 ARIPO is a regional intellectual property organization comprising 22 mainly English-speaking member countries.

*2 The Administrative Council is a body in which the heads of the IP offices of ARIPO member countries gather to discuss ARIPO’s action plans and policies.

Bilateral Meeting with ARIPO
Mr. Twebaze, Director General, ARIPO and Mr. YASUDA. Deputy Commissioner, JPO

Bilateral Meeting with KIPI (Kenya)
Mr. ONYANGO, Managing Director, KIPI (the second from the left)

Bilateral Meeting with IGQPI (Cabo Verde)
Ms. SPENCER, President, IGQPI (the fourth from the left)

[Last updated 13 November 2024]