Intellectual property rights involve the protection of ideas and work product and often take the form of copyrights, trademarks and patents.  In Dominica and other Caribbean countries, intellectual property rights is key for musicians producing original music, for the preservation of cultural heritage, for conserving endemic plant species and for protecting the creations of manufacturers, designers, seamstresses and other artisans.

The media is invited to cover the opening ceremony of the first workshop on Thursday July 27, 2006 at the Garraway Hotel from 8:30am – 9:10 am. The first workshop will target Police and Customs officials.  Business persons, lawyers, and inventors with an interest in intellectual property rights enforcement have also been invited. 

This workshop will feature addresses by: 

• Ian Douglas, Attorney General and Minister for Legal Affairs and Immigration;
• Louise Van Greunen, Deputy Director, Enforcement and Special Projects Division, World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO); and
• Karen Turner, Mission Director, United States Agency for International Development, Jamaica-Caribbean Regional Programme.

The second workshop is a two-day forum at the Fort Young Hotel restricted to Judges from the Eastern Caribbean who will share experiences on the enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights by the judiciary in the OECS and review case studies from the other parts of the world.  That forum will feature speakers from South Africa, Mexico, Trinidad and Tobago and Barbados.

Both workshops are organized by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) in collaboration with the Government of the Commonwealth of Dominica and other partners such as the United States Agency for International Development and the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States.

In order to build on the discussions that will be generated as a result of these workshops, The Ministry of Legal Affairs and Immigration, with donor funding, will embark upon a public relations campaign to sensitise the general public on intellectual property issues during the month of August, 2006.