The Business and Intellectual Property Authority (BIPA) will host a stakeholder conference on the Draft Copyright and related Rights Bill in the capital on Thursday.
BIPA, in a statement issued on Tuesday, said the conference will be held in line with its mandate to protect, promote and register intellectual property by creating a reputable intellectual property environment.
The conference aims to validate stakeholder input that was sought earlier this year to the Draft Copyright and Related Rights Bill, and will be held in a hybrid form that accommodates both in-person and virtual attendees.
The Bill is repealing the Copyright and Neighbouring Right Protection Act, 1994 (Act No. 6 of1994), which aim to provide for the protection of copyright and performers’ rights, and to provide for matters incidental thereto.
The aim of the Bill is to provide for the nature and extent of copyright, provide for exceptions and limitations to copyright, provide for rights of performers, producers, sound recordings and audio-visual fixations, as well as broadcasting organisations, while also providing for the transfer of ownership of copyright, among others.
“The national conference is a necessary platform to give rationale behind repealing the current Copyright and Neighbouring Right Protection Act, 1994 (Act No. 6 of1994), as well as sharing new changes in the Draft Bill that have been incorporated during the various stakeholder engagement session,” BIPA Executive of Intellectual Property Service, Ainna Kaundu, is quoted as saying in the statement.
She noted that the amendments made to the Draft Copyright and Related Rights Bill was to ensure that the new law speaks to the current needs of the country and is aligned with international best practice frameworks on copyright and related rights.
Source: The Namibian Press Agency