By Seleoe Nonyane
The Intellectual Property Rights and Innovation Project in Africa (AfriPI), the African Regional Intellectual Property Organization (ARIPO) and the Lesotho Copyright Society of Authors and Artists (LESCOSAA) are hosting a two-day workshop from September 6 to 7 2022 in Maseru.
The theme for the workshop is to support a strengthening of collective management organizations (CMOs).
CMOs unlock economic value and improve efficiency in two main ways by enabling copyright owners to administer their rights and costs effectively to obtain a fair return for their work.
Furthermore, CMOs provide a service to right users by facilitating ready access to and licensing of copyright works easily and cheaply.
During an opening of the workshop, the principal secretary for the ministry of tourism, environment and culture Moliehi Moejane said that Lesotho like many other African countries has very rich creative industries which need to be nurtured.
“The government of Lesotho appreciates the fact that ARIPO, with the support from the European Union, decided to sponsor the hosting of the workshop here in Maseru.
“A creative economy plays an important role in the socio-economic development of any nation and if the property is properly harnessed, it can immensely contribute to the socio-economic development of our nations,” she said.
She emphasized the need for intellectual property to be enhanced as a business and urged participants to consider how it can contribute to the cultural industries and therefore create jobs.
For her part, the representative for AfriPI Nancy Samuriwo said artists, communities and their governments stand a chance to achieve significant economic benefits from the creative sector through well-managed CMOs.
“As a result, AfriPI aims not just to see an increase in the number of these organizations but also an improvement in the quality of their governance structures and the creation of systems of their long-term sustainability”, Samuriwo indicated.
The chairperson for LESCOSAA, Teboho Khalieli said that the vision is to ensure that copyright owners get compensated for the use of their works through licensing and collection of royalties. He said he is looking forward to working together with ARIPO in order to achieve the LESCOSAA’s objectives.
ARIPO strives to develop and implement strategies through which it can promote and support growth and effectiveness in the administration, management and enforcement of copyright and related rights.
Copyright law protects artistic and literary works, provided the works are original. A work is original if the author has made creative choices. Apart from works, copyright law also protects other creations of an artistic or technical nature.
