Intellectual property rights valid for 20 years – NOTAP

The National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion has stated that inventors of creative intellectual property can only hold exclusive rights to their works for 20 years.

After this period, the invention will be transferred to the public domain and can be used by any individual.

The Director-General, NOTAP, Obiageli Amadiobi, disclosed this at a press conference to commemorate the African Day for Technology and Intellectual Properties on Thursday in Abuja. It was themed, “Leveraging Technology and IPRs to Drive the Renewed Hope Agenda”.

This revelation emerges amid recent controversies concerning the ownership of intellectual property rights for songs by musical artists and the necessity of obtaining permission from the original artist.

She said the commemoration complies with the resolution made by the Organisation of African Unity now the African Union Council of Ministers and Assembly of Heads of State and Governments at Addis-Ababa, Ethiopia in July 1999.

The resolution was to further sensitise and facilitate the domestication of Technology and development of the Intellectual Property Rights system in African member states.

The NOTAP DG said technology and intellectual property rights systems are important factors in nation-building and wealth creation, stressing that intellectual rights awaken the creative ability of inventors to develop solutions to the many challenges confronting the continent to eradicate poverty and drive sustainable development.

According to her, the commemoration of African Day for Technology and Intellectual Property Rights seeks to arouse the latent creativity and inventive spirit of young inventors and innovators to spur the development of indigenous inventive solutions.

She said, “To properly understand the concept, Intellectual Property is the creative works of the mind, literary and artistic works belonging to a creator and can only be transferred or sold with the permission of the innovator. It can also be any innovation, commercial, artistic, symbol, logo or design used for commercial purposes.

“However, this right that can also be transferred is not without limitations as the creator or the owner of the right can only enjoy it solely for 20 years in the case of patents, after which the invention goes into the public domain and could be exploited by any person or user.

“Technology and Intellectual Property Rights systems have long been recognized to be among the foremost important factors in nation-building and wealth creation. Ideas and knowledge are increasingly becoming veritable instruments in international trade relations as codified in the Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property under the World Trade Organisation agreement to which Nigeria has been a signatory since January 1, 1995.”

Amadiobi further stressed that with the increasing importance of knowledge as the main engine of growth in this digital era, the decision of African Leaders to declare a day for the commemoration of the role of Technology and Intellectual Property in achieving sustainable development in the African continent is a positive stride.