Education Minister highlights value of IP protection
Published:Friday | June 23, 2017 | 5:29 PM
Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Ruel Reid, has highlighted the importance of intellectual property (IP) protection to national development.
He noted that IP remains the pillar for providing equitable reward for creators and those who invest in, distribute and manage these innovations.
Senator Reid said that having a robust IP framework in place could help to attract and sustain investment in innovations, and spur growth and development, while providing a competitive advantage for countries.
He was speaking at the opening of a joint CARICOM/United States Public-Private Sector Stakeholder Seminar and Dialogue on Broadcast Licensing and Enforcement at the Terra Nova All-Suite Hotel in St Andrew on June 21.
The two-day event brought together content creators, cable operators and other distributors, copyright owners, regulators, collection agencies and policy advisors to examine existing legal provisions on broadcast licensing at both the domestic and international levels, and the impact on consumers.
Topics explored included the legal framework for content and signal licensing, business considerations in the US and the Caribbean; and the nature, dimensions, and prevalence of piracy in the region.
Senator Reid expressed hope that the two-day dialogue and seminar would help to craft a relevant model for access to content, while ensuring that IP rights are protected.