With The Coming Of The Digital Age: Experts Discuss Harmonisation Of Strategies For Exploitation Of Cultural Content In OAPI Member States

With The Coming Of The Digital Age: Experts Discuss Harmonisation Of Strategies For Exploitation Of Cultural Content In OAPI Member States

An increasing number of musicians in Africa now release and sell their records online, digital channels, instead of producing plates (CDs) and cassettes like in the past

An increasing number of publishers or authors also, now sell their books online instead of producing hard copies like in the past

Some 40 experts and officials from member States of the African Intellectual Property Organisation commonly known by the French acronym, OAPI, attended a regional workshop in Douala, Cameroon from December 18 – 20, 2023 on capacity building, as well as to discuss the harmonisation of strategies for the exploitation of cultural content in this digital age, in the OAPI member States.

The workshop was organised by the Intellectual Property Rights and Innovation in Africa Project, AfrIPI, in collaboration with OAPI. It was officially opened in the morning of Monday, December 18, 2023, by the Deputy Director General of OAPI, Oualou Panouala.

In his opening address, the Deputy Director General of OAPI noted that intellectual property in general, and artistic and literary property in particular, is a domain that undergoes permanent evolution. He said the situation calls for regular building of capacities, making regular updates of related Laws and texts, among others.  Panouala, said the main challenge today in the sector of artistic and literary property of Intellectual Property Rights, is what to do to adapt to the major change, digital channel, in the exploitation of cultural content.

 No Imposition Of Any Model On African States 

The Deputy General Manager of OAPI recalled that in the domain of artistic and literary intellectual property in the past, people were dealing with physical products like CDs (plates) and cassettes of artists, and the hard copies of books written by different authors. But today things have changed as people are now living in a digital world. The albums or products of an increasing number of musicians are now released and sold online. So also do many publishers or authors of books now publish and sell their books online. The method of work, the techniques and the required working tools by those in charge of Intellectual Property Rights in the past, are different from what are needed today in handling digital property. Thus the need to build the capacity of those in charge of intellectual property rights, as regard artistic and literary products in the member States of OAPI.

The Deputy Director General of OAPI also stated that in the face of the change brought about by the digital age, it has thus become imperative as well for experts and representatives of member States of OAPI, to come together and reflect on the most appropriate strategy to be adopted as well as followed, by all member States. This thus justified the Douala workshop for the harmonization of strategy by all member States of OAPI, on digital intellectual property rights, in artistic and literary property, that was organised by AfrIPI, in collaboration with OAPI. The Deputy Director General of OAPI stressed that it was out of question to try to impose any model on digital property on the Africa States.

 What Is AfrIPI All About?

Meanwhile speaking earlier at the December 18 opening ceremony of the regional workshop, the new Deputy Project Lead of AfrIPI,  Gregor Schneider, explained that the Intellectual Property Rights and Innovation in Africa Project, is aimed at supporting the European Union’s action in the process of creation, protection, utilisation, administration and application of intellectual property rights across Africa. This is done in conformity to international and European best practices, or in support of the continental free trade zone and Agenda 2063 of the African Union.

Schneider said AfrIPI by its action wishes to support the African policy on Intellectual Property Rights and its harmonization, ameliorate the network and tools, and assist in the reinforcement of the capacities of national and regional representatives or officials on intellectual property, as well as reinforce the capacities of enterprises and civil society on intellectual property rights. He explained that the objective of AfrIPI is to facilitate Inter – African trade, as well as African and European Investments.

The senior official of AfiIPI noted that the strategic plan for the development of author’s right and copy right in Africa adopted in 2019 in Nairobi (Kenya), encourages African countries to reinforce and ameliorate the environment of author’s right and copy right,  in view of the development of  digital cultural industry on the continent. He said AfrIPI works with all types of intellectual property and copy rights.  He said the regional workshop in Douala, was more on copy rights.  Schneider made it known  that a consultancy on intellectual property was assigned by AfrIPI  to look at the situation of intellectual property as regards copy rights in Africa – What are the challenges in Africa as regard copy rights in the digital era,  and how the problems can be solved.

 Proposal By Consultancy

The AfrIPI official said the consulting company after studies, came up with a number of proposals whcih were programmed to be examined and discussed at the regional workshop in Douala. In the discussions, the representatives of the member States of OAP were expected to present the situation in the different countries, taking into consideration for example the existing Laws or texts on copy rights. Schneider explained that the Douala workshop was meant for the representatives of the different member States of OAPI, to deicide on the new strategy on copy rights to adopt in this digital age, as proposed by the consulting company. Participants at the workshop were expected to make their own proposals for modification of the proposed strategy, so that at the end of the day the member States of OAPI should adopt a harmonized strategy accepted by all, and to be applied by all member States.

Thus according to the organisers, the regional workshop that was organised in Douala, aimed to build the capacity of representatives of OAPI member States in the exploitation and management of intellectual property rights, linked to cultural content in the context of its distribution via digital channels. The regional workshop was also a forum to exchange and share experiences and best practices, to ensure a profitable technological turn for the African continent, in the field of the cultural industry.

Worth noting, that a representative of the European Union Delegation in Cameroon, addressed participants at the regional workshop in Douala by video link.