2019 WORLD INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY DAY CELEBRATED

ORID HIGHLIGHTS SPORTS ON WORLD INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY DAY

                                              A group photograph of participants at the event

This year’s World Intellectual Property Day celebration has been observed by the Office of Research, Innovation and Development (ORID) in collaboration with the Sports Directorate and the Department of Physical Education and Sports under the theme, ‘’ Reach for Gold-IP and Sports”. The World Intellectual Property Day which is marked on April 26th each year is meant to highlight the importance of Intellectual Property across all spheres of public endeavour.  The objective of this year’s celebration was to create awareness on the role of intellectual property rights in encouraging creativity and innovation in sports.
At the start of the event, which brought health, wellbeing and sports to the fore, Prof. Obeng Adjei, Director of Research at ORID, advised that the sporting fraternity should explore how Intellectual Property (IP) can be used to advance the development of sports. He hoped that the celebration would present the University community, with the opportunity to develop an IP strategy from which the University could derive additional resources, from sporting activities.

                                           Professor George Obeng Adjei, Director of Research

In a statement, the Director of the Sports Directorate of the University of Ghana, Dr. Bella Bello Bitugu explained that Intellectual Property allowed brand owners to control their trademark, hence the need to protect intellectual property in sports and embrace the commodification of sports. He commended the University for being the first and only university in the country to adopt a policy to admit athlete students. He noted that the University of Ghana was also a pioneer in providing funding for sports education through a Sports Development Fund.

                                                     Dr. Bella Bello Bitugu, Director, Sports Directorate

After a brief session of physical activity lead by Prof. Reginald Ocansey, Head of the Physical Education and Sports Department, he introduced the academic study which was a project funded in part by Mr. Wonder Agaglo. The study sought to identify the linkage between entrepreneurial skills and physical activities. In his contribution, Mr. Agaglo stated that even though there are challenges encountered by athletes in claiming ownership of their skills, there were other activities in the sports value chain that can be patented.

                                     A session of physical activity being led by Prof. Reginald Ocansey

The guest Speaker for the event Mr. Yaw Sakyi Afari, Manager of Azumah Nelson and Chairman, Rite Holding Company Ltd.  The speaker who is also the host of Courtside on Kwese Sports/ Viasat1 TV, wrapped up the celebration on a positive note by explaining how gains can be derived from intellectual property in sports. He explained that intellectual property remained a safety net in sports when athletes and sports entrepreneurs have protected trademarks for their invention. He urged athletes and teams to ensure that their brands and trademarks are effectively protected in order to enjoy the full returns accrued through intellectual property rights.

                                                                  Guest Speaker, Mr. Yaw Sakyi Afari