In order to strengthen their ties in the scope of intellectual property and copyright, the African Union of Broadcasting (AUB) signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) on the 10th of November 2017. The signing ceremony took place in Geneva Switzerland, at WIPO’s Headquarters between AUB’s Director General, Mr Grégoire NDJAKA and WIPO’s Director General, Mr Francis GURRY, represented on the occasion by WIPO’s Deputy Director General Ms Sylvie FORBIN, in charge of Copyright and Creative Industries.

According to AUB’s Director General, the aim of this agreement is to promote the role of broadcasting for social, cultural and economic development of the Union and its Member Organizations.

WIPO’s Director General, Mr Francis GURRY believes that this new cooperation between the two parties will be mutually beneficial and give impetus to creativity and the rights of broadcasting organizations in the digital age.

Already, the two parties have decided to combine efforts. Apart from organizing joint activities in the intellectual property and copyright related fields, they will also support the use of copyright as a tool for the production of audiovisual content. To switch from words to action, the African Union of Broadcasting in partnership with WIPO, organized a two-day seminar from 12 to 13th December 2017, in Dakar the very-first of its kind, on Copyright and intellectual property in the field of audiovisual media. This seminar which brought together close to 40 participants from French speaking African countries was presided over by Senegal’s Minister for Culture, Mr Abdou Latif Coulibaly. AUB and WIPO’s next action on intellectual property is scheduled for February 2018 in Kigali where a seminar on copyright will be organized in the interest of English speaking countries members of the AUB. Irene GAOUDA http://www.rawmaterialcompany.org/_1448 #Anglais