Article provided by CIPC
The Companies and Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC) in South Africa hosted a Southern Africa’s Development Community (SADC) Companies Registries’ and Intellectual Property enforcement agencies’ virtual Conference on Tuesday, the 17th of May 2022, with the theme: the agility of Companies and IP Registries within the context of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The theme was inspired by the need for registries and regulatory authorities to adapt and evolve in the face of the global pandemic, which not only impacted on the health and lives of people around the world, but also affected economies and disrupted the manner in which business is conducted. The idea to host this virtual conference was triggered by an interest shown by several registries in the SADC sub-region. Counterparts in the region were keen on exchanging knowledge and best practice about conducting their respective regulatory functions within the context of a devastating pandemic. This conference’s objective was to advocate for greater cross border synergies amongst African registries and for a closer working relationship in the context of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement.
The conference brought together delegates from various parts of the SADC sub-region, including delegates from the Indian Ocean Islands of Seychelles and Mauritius. Speakers from Botswana, Namibia, Mauritius, Lesotho, Kenya and South Africa shared their respective organisations’ and countries’ experience of adapting to new ways of conducting business as a consequence of the Covid-19 Pandemic. Topics of discussion included the use of technology to improve compliance, progress towards the development of beneficial ownership repository and intellectual property enforcement in the digital environment. Delegates shared best practices and innovation triggered by the eruption of the Covid-19 Pandemic.
The conference took place at an appropriate time when most companies and organisations contend with the idea of how best to navigate the period post the covid-19 outbreak…The success of the conference was based on delegates’ motivation to implement some of the ideas discussed and shared during the conference.
It is envisaged that similar conferences will be held on an annual basis.