Microsoft 4Afrika IP Hub launched

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Microsoft 4Afrika IP Hub launched --

Mon, 30 Jun 2014 11:03

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The Microsoft 4Afrika Intellectual Property Hub is a portal being piloted in Kenya over the next two years, which will give developers and independent software retailers the means and expertise necessary to grow, protect and monetise their products and services.

Small African businesses are susceptible to exploitation as they do not yet employ established copyright, trademark, trade name or patent programs. By purely relying on secrecy, these businesses miss out on opportunities for success across the continent.

Between 2009 and 2012 the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) confirmed that resident patent applications in Kenya amounted to only 383 submissions. These numbers align with other countries in Africa such as in Egypt which had 683, South Africa which had 608 and the Ivory Coast which had 53. Compared to the 268,000 resident patents applications filed in the US during the same period, the African numbers are significantly low.

Louis Otieno, Director for Legal and Corporate Affairs at Microsoft 4Afrika said, Most African innovators function on the premise that the idea is theirs until someone else takes it to market, or duplicates it. As Africa s innovation continues to flourish, the future remains uncertain if these promising ideas are not supported and protected properly.

Filing IP protection can be intimidating to many Africans, who are uninformed about what the process requires or entails. The Microsoft 4Afrika Intellectual Property Hub aims to address these problems by providing user friendly, streamlined and digitised procedures, while educating young innovators about the importance of protecting their works.

The Microsoft 4Afrika innovation goal is to bring to market and help African start-ups monetize their innovations and ideas, and allow them to make the right connection with investors. Protecting intellectual property ultimately leads to wealth creation and economic growth, and encourages development of knowledge-based industries. We designed the IP Hub to play a critical role in empowering African innovators and spurring this growth, Otieno concluded.

Visit the Microsoft 4Afrika website for more information.

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