Minister Shaw To Open Debate On Trademarks Act Amendment

Industry, Investment and Commerce Minister, Hon. Audley Shaw, is slated to open debate on the proposed amendment to the Trademarks Act during today’s (May 12) sitting of the House of Representatives.

The amendment, which was tabled in the House by Mr. Shaw on April 13, will support Jamaica’s accession to the Madrid Protocol, which will allow interested parties to protect their trademarks in multiple jurisdictions by filing a single registration in participating countries.

“So, let’s say you had a product that you wanted to target [in] 20 countries… under the old system, you have to register your trademark in all 20 of them. Under the Madrid Protocol, you’ll only register [in] one place… and you’re automatically registered in all of the countries,” the Minister explained.

He was making his 2021/22 Sectoral Debate presentation in the House on Tuesday (May 11), under the theme ‘Overcoming Challenges: Recovering Stronger and Faster’.

Mr. Shaw described the legislative amendment as a “major initiative” which will benefit key stakeholders.

These, he said, include interests in the manufacturing sector as well as micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSME) “that are already faced with limited capacity and finances”,

Mr. Shaw also advised that the Ministry was working with the Jamaica Intellectual Property Office (JIPO) to strengthen the local intellectual property (IP) framework.

“Intellectual Property is a springboard for income generation, employment, [and] wealth creation, especially within the creative industries and the small business sector,” Mr. Shaw said.

Source: JIS