Jamaica's industrial designers will soon be able to secure international protection for their work in multiple jurisdictions through what is known as the Hague System.
The Hague System, administered by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), provides a mechanism for registering an industrial design in several countries by means of a single application, filed in one language, with one set of fees.
The Patents and Design Act, 2020, set to take effect by the end of this year, will enable designers in Jamaica to have access to that international facility.
The statute, passed by the Jamaican Parliament in January last year, repeals and replaces the Patent Act of 1857 and the Designs Act of 1937.
“Basically, one of the effects of the new legislation is that it is modernising our design system here in Jamaica,” Adrienne Thompson, Trademark Designs and Geographical Indications Manager, Jamaica Intellectual Property Office (JIPO), explained on Tuesday.
Ms. Thompson, addressing JIPO’s Designs Day webinar, said one significant change will be the introduction of a new classification system – the Locarno Classification System (LOC) - which is an international system used to classify goods for the purposes of the registration of industrial designs.
“We are really excited… that local designers will have an easier time if they want to protect their designs worldwide,” the JIPO she added.
Tuesday's webinar was part of activities to mark Intellectual Property (IP) Week 2021 from April 23 to May 2.
SOURCE: Jamaica Information Service
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