Innovations must be protected, says URSB
Many people have invested in innovations but have lost out due to counterfeits and intellectual property theft. Photo / File
What you need to know:
- URSB says the Counterfeit Bill, 2023, if passed, will protect innovators from suffering losses resulting from counterfeits and intellectual property theft.
Uganda Registration Services Bureau (URSB) has said young innovators will be the biggest beneficiaries of the Counterfeit Bill, 2023 if it is passed into law.
Speaking during a stakeholder public conference on the Counterfeit Bill 2023, Ms Immaculate Nakato Mukuye, a URSB senior compliance officer, said the Bill if passed, will protect innovators from suffering losses resulting from counterfeits and intellectual property theft.
“Yes, everyone wants to be associated with a brand that is selling, but there are so many young entrepreneurs in the country who need this Bill to be protected from copycats,” she said.
The Bill, by Bugiri Municipality MP Asuman Basalirwa comes at a time when there is an increasing rate of counterfeits, which has denied many innovators their due revenue.
It also comes at a time when there is an increase in substandard goods, which according to the Uganda National Bureau of Standards 2022/23 annual report, has increased to 58 percent.
The proposed Bill seeks to prohibit trade in counterfeit goods that infringe on protected intellectual property rights and require intellectual property rights to cover only copyright.
It will also create offences relating to trade in counterfeit goods, empower the Commissioner General of Uganda Revenue Authority to seize suspected counterfeit goods.
Mr Basalirwa was given leave of Parliament last year to consult on the Bill.
During the conference, he said, the current enforcement mechanisms provided under intellectual property laws only provide recourse to court in case of infringement and do not provide administrative remedies that can be accessed through national intellectual property agencies.
“Proliferation of counterfeit and pirated goods and services undermines legitimate trade, causes significant financial losses for right holders and legitimate businesses, and, in some cases, provides a source of revenue for organised crime,” he said.
