The National Symposium on IP Education & Research Inaugurated

We will suggest establishing an Arab society for geographical indications under the umbrella of the Arab League - Abu-Ghazaleh

AMMAN October 13, 2008, The National Symposium on Intellectual Property (IP) Education & Research held under the patronage of HE Minister of Culture Nancy Bakeer was inaugurated today at Talal Abu-Ghazaleh College of Business (TAG-College).

In his opening remarks at the two-day Symposium, Mr. Talal Abu-Ghazaleh chairman and CEO of Talal Abu-Ghazaleh Organization (TAG-Org) stressed the importance of protecting Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) and their outcome on national economies.

Abu-Ghazaleh revealed that TAG-Org will propose two pioneering projects at the first Arab Consumer and Brand Protection Forum to be held in Jeddah on October 21, 2008.
“We will suggest establishing an Arab society for geographical indications under the umbrella of the Arab League while the second will target Arab brand names,” he said.

Abu-Ghazaleh believes that the Arab businesses do not fully recognize the significant value of brand names and geographical indications on the national economy.

He called for establishing a database that includes such geographical indications and brand names as a first step in a methodology to enable Arab brands to benefit from their intellectual capital values.
Counselor of Technical Assistance and Capacity Building Bureau for Arab Countries at the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), Geneva Mr. Samer Al Tarawneh pointed out that the new global economy is now based on knowledge and know-how; this change has tremendously benefited developing countries to enhance their economies by utilizing their human resources and intellectual assets.

“Developing an Intellectual Property concept requires qualified human resources through long and short term government policies which start with education,” Al Tarawneh noted.

In the first day’s sessions, speakers tackled the role of IP in knowledge, wealth creation and national development.
Mr. Anil Sinha, head of the Research and Executive Program at the WIPO Worldwide Academy pointed out that this Symposium is part of efforts exerted to discuss the topic of IP knowledge and education.

“This is a brainstorming session to shed light on ways to enhance IP education in this country in particular and the region as a whole,” he stated.

The Symposium, attended by high ranking officials and experts from local, regional and international organizations is organized by WIPO in cooperation with the Jordan National Library/ Ministry of Culture and TAG-College.
WIPO is a specialized agency of the United Nations. It is dedicated to developing a balanced and accessible international IP system, which rewards creativity, stimulates innovation and contributes to economic development while safeguarding the public interest.

Founded in 1994, the Jordan National Library plays an important role in protecting IP including copyrights.
TAG-College is the first college of its kind that represents a partnership between the private and the public sectors in the Arab world. This unique partnership brings the business expertise of Talal Abu-Ghazaleh Organization to the academic world of the German Jordanian University (GJU).