JIPO Urged To Use IP To Drive Wealth Creation

Director General of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), Daren Tang, has charged the Jamaica Intellectual Property Office (JIPO) to take IP to the next level by transitioning from mere legal protection to active wealth creation.

He said the objective is to shift the focus from simply registering IP to one that commercialises it.

“I am going to ask us to look at IP not just as laws and regulations – that’s what we do and that’s very important – but to look at IP as connected to trade, economy, finance, creativity and innovation, and the prosperity and the success of your country,” Mr. Tang said to JIPO staff during a visit to the entity’s offices on Trafalgar Road, Kingston on Monday (May 18).

He noted that in a changing world where creativity and innovation are emerging as key assets, the job of the IP office is no longer just about receiving IP applications.

“It is about making sure that IP is used as a form of economic empowerment, that IP is no longer for registration and a form of protection, but about commercialisation, utilisation and monetisation,” he said.

“That means that more attention will be placed on you, JIPO, as one of the key agencies to build Jamaica’s future economy, future society and future culture… . Let’s draw on our strengths to take IP to the next level,” he urged.

Mr. Tang said it was an honour for him to be in the island, noting that there are many similarities in culture between Jamaica and his home country of Singapore.

“We celebrate that we come from different parts of the world and despite the difficult history, because Singapore also struggled with a colonial past, we see that ethnicity and diversity as strength. So, I am really honoured to see the country of Usain Bolt. I find myself at home here,” he said.

Dr. Tang was on an official visit to Jamaica from May 16 to 20.

The visit provided an opportunity for the WIPO Director General to see first-hand the operations of JIPO, engage with members of staff, and learn about Jamaica’s IP registration services, public awareness programmes, and ongoing initiatives to support innovators, creators, and businesses across the island.

It included the signing of two Letters of Intent between WIPO and the Government of Jamaica to cooperate on the establishment of an Intellectual Property Training Institution (IPTI) in Jamaica, and a structured training and skills-building programme on IP for diplomats and government officials.

Established in 2001 under the Jamaica Intellectual Property Office Act, JIPO is responsible for the administration of patents, trademarks, industrial designs, band copyright in Jamaica.

WIPO played an instrumental role in supporting the establishment and development of JIPO, and Dr. Tang’s visit was the first such by a WIPO Director General since the office’s launch in 2002.