Patent: NOTAP, stakeholders agree to increase awareness in Nigeria

In order to put the country’s name amongst the comity of technologically developed nations, the National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion (NOTAP) and the Patents, Trademarks and Designs Registry, are strengthening their relationships to ensure more patents are generated in Nigeria, BINTA SHAMA reports.
Importance of intellectual property Technology and knowledge have played important roles in the economic growth of major world economies, for instance, the UK, USA and emerging economies like the BRIC countries i.e.
Brazil, Russia, India and China, have a lot of evidential research report in this sector.
Intellectual property through globalization and technological innovation has come to reveal an enticing charm in corporate strategy affecting company ratings.
Therefore, it is safe to say a country with higher rate of technological growth would experience a higher standard of living than those of countries without much growth. There has been a tremendous growth in company investment in intangible assets.
According to the company asset valuation recorded by Fortune 500, Intellectual Property Assets (intangible assets) was translated to make up approximately 80 per cent of companies value.
One of the consequences of global trade that started at the beginning of the 1990s in the developed countries was the creation of a deliberate connection between trade law and IP policies to use trade measures to curb piracy of intellectual property rights which led to the TRIPS Agreement.
This agreement establishes global standards for IP protection that would be binding on both developed and developing countries which includes enforcement and border measures.
It has been stipulated that Intellectual property significantly influences the appreciation in value and the accumulation in quantity of human capital and technological change.
For example the growth in patent filing is associated with the growth of knowledge and patent-related statistics can act as an indicator of the strength or weakness of a country’s economy.
The influence of IP has also reflected in the increasing contribution of high technology and knowledge-intensive industries.
For instance more firms are inclined to patent their inventions and this has increased worldwide which includes some developing countries.
PCT in developing countries have started to accumulate knowledge and increase in economic power.
Economic benefits Trademarks are important component of the IP system which has strong influence on private investment and marketing decisions as they are intangible capital.
Protecting In order to put the country’s name amongst the comity of technologically developed nations, the National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion (NOTAP) and the Patents, Trademarks and Designs Registry, are strengthening their relationships to ensure more patents are generated in Nigeria, BINTA SHAMA reports.
NOTAP Director General, Dr. DanAzumi Mohammed Ibrahim (middle), in a handshake with the Registrar, Patents, Trademarks and Designs Registry, Barrister Stella Ezenduka (2nd right), during a visit to NOTAP DG, in Abuja recently, while management the team watch Photo: Binta Shama the intellectual property plays a catalytic role in inspiring research and development in a country.
It also facilitates transfer of technology such as patent licensing through an active use of patent information, and as well as have the potential causative to a country’s efforts to attract Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and provide the necessary conditions for transfer of technology.
The commercialization of IP is a significant stimulus to economic growth.
NOTAP’s impact Similarly, the National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion (NOTAP), recently held a joint management meeting of the two agencies in Abuja in the pursuit of adding value to the nation’s economy.
The Director General of NOTAP Dr. DanAzumi Mohammed Ibrahim said the development of the country is the responsibility of Nigerians and as agencies of government, “we cannot achieve much working in silos”.
Ibrahim said the world’s economy is no longer driven by resources but by knowledge and as the country with the highest knowledge infrastructure within the West African sub region, Nigeria cannot afford to remain a spectator but a major play in the technology space.
The Chief Executive Officer regretted that though technology is what rules the world, intellectual property awareness in the country is abysmally low.
He added that NOTAP’s collaboration with the Patents, Trademarks and Designs Registry was to further create enhanced awareness on the importance of patenting of inventions.
The DG said that in a bid to create increased awareness of intellectual property culture within the knowledge institutions, NOTAP in collaboration with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) in 2006, initiated the establishment of Intellectual Property and Technology Transfer Offices (IPTTOs) in the knowledge institutions.
He added that the establishments of IPTTOs have triggered demand driven researches and patents are emanating from the knowledge institutions.
He said the world is knowledge driven therefore universities the world over are in the forefront of generating and disseminating knowledge through research.
He therefore, averred that both organizations should expedite action to ensure that the university communities are fully aware and buy into the culture of patenting their R&D results.
Ibrahim disclosed to the gathering that in 2015, NOTAP secured as low as six patents for researchers who filed their patent applications through NOTAP.
But in 2016, it increased to sixteen patents and in 2017; it rose to over fifty patents owing to the relationship established with Patent Registry.
He added that these patents were secured for the researchers free of charge by NOTAP and encouraged researchers to file their patent applications through NOTAP.
“No agency can optimally function without effectively collaborating with other sister agencies complementing and taking advantage of their areas of competencies.
You must remember that Nigeria is one and all Agencies should synergize for the actualization of this dreams and aspirations of all of us as Nigerians”, the DG added.
Speaking, the Registrar, Patents, Trademarks and Designs Registry, Barrister.
Stella Ezenduka expressed appreciation to NOTAP’s Management for the cooperation so far and the promises to continue to collaborate with the agency to ensure the efficient delivery of its duties.
She said though NOTAP has been collaborating with the Registry since the era of her predecessor, she would want a closer partnership to ensure that some of the challenges inhibiting the speedy processing of Patent certificates are totally eliminated.\