Government steps up war against counterfeits by launching Intellectual Property Rights Database
The Anti-Counterfeit Authority (ACA) has today initiated the Intellectual Property Rights Recordation (IPR) system for all imports into the country.
In this year’s launch of ACA’s IPR System, the theme was, “Leveraging on Technology to Combat Counterfeiting”.
During the launch, the acting Executive Director at the Anti-Counterfeit Authority Fridah Kaberia, said recordation is a game-changer in the war against counterfeits.
“We are seeking to create an Intellectual Property Rights Database that will be used by our officers at border points to easily flag counterfeits before entering the Kenyan market,” she said.
The Chief Guest, Deputy Head of Public Service Wanyama Musiambo, and the national coordinator of the enforcement multi-Agency team against illicit trade in Kenya called for the participation of both public and private sectors in order to eliminate counterfeit and illicit trade, for the health, safety, and prosperity of Kenyans.
“Kenya like any other economy is facing the wrath of countering and illicit trade that is affecting the government development agenda under the Big Four Agenda of economic development. The development framework targets to have the manufacturing sector increase its contribution to the GDP from 8 per cent in 2017 to 15 per cent by 2022,” Musiambo stated.
According to the National Baseline Survey on Counterfeit and Other Forms of Illicit Trade in Kenya, the entire size of illicit trade in Kenya was assessed at Sh826 billion in 2018, up from Sh726 billion in 2017, representing 8.9 per cent and 9.3 per cent of GDP, respectively.
This means that the potential of this trade was eradicating the manufacturing sector, so reducing the country’s prospects for industry-led trade expansion.
As per the World Economic Forum, illicit trade costs the global economy USD2.2 trillion every year about 3 per cent of global GDP.
Kenya, along with Nigeria and Zimbabwe, is the third member of the Global Anti-Counterfeiting Group (GACG) through the Anti-Counterfeit Authority in Africa.
