“I think it’s important to not just be a member of AIPPI but to have a national group. It means you can answer the questions and meaningfully contribute to the association,” said Wilson. He also acknowledged the help of Abraham and fellow Bureau member Laurent Thibon, who both visited Sri Lanka earlier in the year.
“We worked on the questions for this year’s Congress out of our own interest, but couldn’t submit them as we had not yet been recognised,” said Wilson. “It’s interesting in a country like Sri Lanka with few IP cases to explore these international issues. The yellow books with all the answers from other countries are also always useful.”
Sri Lanka’s IP system is based on the WIPO model law for developing nations, but there are some new developments, such as draft laws on plant varieties, traditional knowledge and the definition of a well-known mark. “I think I can say that the process of consulting stakeholders in Sri Lanka could be improved,” said Wilson. “Hopefully the IP Association will be a step towards that.”
The new AIPPI group was recognised at the ExCo meeting on Sunday, where Wilson was handed two Sri Lankan flags and invited to sit in one of the two seats left vacant in the ranks of countries. It was also announced that the Iceland national group had narrowly avoided being suspended, but that Nigeria would be suspended after failing to pay its dues for two years.
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