Capacity building on IP right recordation for selected enforcement agencies in Kenya – Phase 2: study visit to Mauritius

In 2022, AfrIPI facilitated the organisation of a meeting between the European Business Council (EUBC) in Kenya and the Anti-Counterfeit Authority (ACA). Both parties agreed that it was important to implement intellectual property (IP) protection in a manner that preserves the interests of the European Union business community while ensuring that Kenyan consumers are protected. The EUBC and the ACA will maintain this close relationship to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of IP rights enforcement processes in Kenya, including ensuring improvements in the counterfeit tracking process.

In furtherance of this commitment with Kenya, phase two of the training will be a study visit involving officials of the ACA who will travel to Mauritius to experience first-hand how the Mauritius Revenue Authority has been able to use voluntary recordation in the IP protection and promotion process. In addition, the study visit will give the ACA a comparative basis for analysing the effectiveness and benefits of Kenya’s mandatory IP rights recordation system that came into effect on 1 January 2023.