The new Africa IP SME Helpdesk raises awareness on IP matters in Africa, including detailed information on the status of intellectual property rights (IPR) at national level, case studies, training materials, webinars and much more. All this practical information can help small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to better understand and protect their IPR (patents, trade marks, industrial designs, trade secrets, copyrights, etc.) in Africa. It also supports SMEs in the process of creating, protecting, utilising, administering and enforcing their IPR across Africa in line with international and European best practices.
In addition, SMEs are able to submit their own enquiries to the Helpdesk related to the protection of their IPR in Africa. Intellectual property experts analyse these enquiries and give confidential advice within 3 working days.
The Africa IP SME Helpdesk is established thanks to the support of the European Union and under the management of the EUIPO, via the Intellectual Property Rights & Innovation in Africa (AfrIPI) project.
You can find more information on the helpdesk here.