Intellectual Property Rights: Copyrighting African Indigenous Literature
Intellectual Property Rights: Copyrighting African Indigenous Literature
Intellectual Property is an intangible asset. It is a creation of human mind. It can have commercial as well as artistic. The songs of Beatles are famous all over the world. The Beatles has exclusive rights over the lyrics or the composition of each son that they have created. As result people selling or tampering with their lyrics may be persecuted by law of the land where the crime has been committed. This is because their CDs and albums are sold around the globe. Different nations have their own domestic Intellectual Property Rights.
It is believed that the law related to intellectual property has evolved from early jewish law. In USA the concept first received focus in a landmark case Devoll et al. versus Brown before the Massachusetts Circuit Court (1845).
United Nations controls the international scenario related to Intellectual Property Rights. She does this with the help of World Intellectual Property Organization (founded in 1967) with its base in Geneva, Netherlands.
There are several types of items that fall under the domain of Intellectual Property:-
Copyrights- This item is basically rights over artistic or literary work. For example an author can copyright the distribution, copying, editing of his book by virtue of this over a period of time from the time of creation. Incase of anonymous people copyright spans over a much shorter period of time.
Trademarks- It is nothing but a symbol by which a company is recognized. For example the blue and white circular symbol of BMW, reflecting its Bavarian origin.
Patents- This is related to discoveries.
Industrial design rights- This is to protect different models from being copied or replicated by rival companies.
Trade secrets- Say for instance wall mart wants to protect the method they use in conducting their retail business around the globe.
Africa, the "dark continent", has many natural resources and local art and culture which need to be preserved. As a result several African nations have come forward under the umbrella of a pan African intellectual property right protection body known as African Regional Intellectual Property Organization (A.R.I.P.O).
Member nations include- Liberia, Namibia, Somalia, Zimbabwe, etc. There are 13 African nations working as observers. Liberia is unique among African nations in this respect. This is because Liberia is the only nation that has not been colonized by any European power. Instead the Afro-American slaves after abolition of slavery in USA have settled this nation.
It is counted among one of the poorest nations of the world. As per statistics, 85% of population earns about @$1.25 per day. Socio-religious customs have its root back in American south. The legislative, executive and the judicial wing closely replicated US structure.
It is known for its cultural skills as well as for its arts and craftsmanship like quilting, ornamental masks, wooden carvings, drums, etc. As a result protecting the techniques and design styles for unscrupulous giant corporations may be the call of the day. Edward Wilmot Blyden, Marcus Gravy, etc. are among the most renowned Liberian authors.
In case a Liberian wants to protect his/her talent or a particular item that comes under Intellectual Property should contact a Liberia Copyright Lawyer. Avatar's Jake Sully Costume For Halloween Guided Bike Tours: Reasons To Opt For One Mining In Australia Needs More Workers How to choose the best travel companies? Himachal Pradesh Tours: Adventure, Culture And Serenity Avatar's Neytiri Costume A Popular Product This Halloween Capture a Man's Heart—Take This Advice to Paradise Goa - Paradise For Honeymooners In India Perfect Holidays Trip With Cheap Air Tickets Man Hong Kong Literary Festival- Embark On An Intellectual Journey Christmas Books - Look No Further For Any Last Minute Gifts An Exhilarating Holiday in Spain The Reason That Why American Football Is So Popular All Over The World