CAIRO - The annual meeting of the Arab Society for Intellectual Property (ASIP) concluded on January 8, 2009 in the Egyptian capital with a call to establish several key initiatives.

The attendees at the meeting headed by Talal Abu-Ghazaleh, ASIP Chairman, expressed satisfaction with the role played by ASIP in protecting Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) in the region and in developing skills through its Arab Certified Intellectual Property Practitioner Program (ACIPP).

Abu-Ghazaleh stressed on the urgent need to establish an Arab Brand Names Association (ABNA).

“The Association will work under the umbrella of the League of Arab States (LAS) and will jointly carry out its mission between the League’s Intellectual Property Unit and ASIP,” he said.

“The Arab brand names are a treasure that should be cherished and protected and ABNA will fulfill this mission,” he added.

Abu-Ghazaleh called for a similar mechanism to protect the Arab geographical indications through the establishment of an association under the League and in cooperation with ASIP in compliance with the protocol signed between the two parties. The establishment of the new association will be also coordinated with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).

Meanwhile, ASIP briefed the attendees about its past and future activities related to IPRs which include the need to organize a second Arab Geographical Indications Conference and Moot Court Competition in addition to the launch of ASIP’s new website to serve its dedicated members.

At the beginning of the meeting, Abu-Ghazaleh and the attendees observed a minute of silence in honor of Gaza’s martyrs massacred by Israeli forces.

From:AGIPNEWS