By Haruna Salami
The Patent and Design Act (Repeal & Re-enactment) Bill, passes second
reading at the Senate on Tuesday.
The Bill which is sponsored by Senator Ibikunle Amosun (Ogun Central)
seeks to make provision in respect of future patents and applications for
patents for the protection of inventions and to give effect to certain
international conventions on patents.
Leading the debate on the second reading of the Bill, Senator Amosun said
“Nigeria as part of the global village must be in tune with what obtains in
other developing nations, especially in the areas of innovation and
technological advancement.
Therefore, he said “robust laws need to be enacted to strengthen the
existing laws in line with the Senate’s progressive legislative agenda. This
will facilitate the inclusion of advanced technologies and the stimulation of
domestic innovative activity that will contribute to the development of
Nigeria and place Nigeria firmly on the world map.
“The need to reform and revise intellectual property law of which the
Patents Bill is a part of, will, in my view, provide the necessary impetus that
would place Nigeria firmly within the world economic environment.
According to the former governor of Ogun state “intellectual property rights,
in a nutshell, are exclusive rights that are conferred by law to an individual,
enterprise, corporation or entity for the product of that individual, enterprise,
or corporation for the purpose of his or its intellectual property.
“Intellectual Property comes in different forms including scientific
inventions, industrial designs, signs of a purely commercial value or
trademark, trade secrets, literary works, as well as artistic and musical
work. Intellectual property law confers on the individual the exclusive right
of exploiting, assigning, transmitting and contracting out the creations of his
or her intellect. Those creations would have to be expressed in a legally
admissible format and, in some cases, are subject to registration
procedures.
He said in the same way that the law provides protection for a person who
owns land, a car or any other items, Intellectual property right provides
protection for the exclusive exploitation, assignment, transmission and
contracting out of novel creation of the intellect.
“The Patents Bill is designed to enhance the quality of life for all of us in
Nigeria. It is a helpful precondition to creating technology that would boost
economic growth and aid development. A strong system of intellectual
property rights is indispensable to the technological development and
advancement of our nation”.
Explaining further, he said ‘The Patent And Design Act Cap P2 LFN 2004
(Repeal & Re-Enactment) Bill, 2021 seeks to protect intellectual property
rights by setting up a framework for civil/judicial procedures, by providing
impetus to scientific and technological development as well as the rapid
industrial growth of our country, which is presently heavily dependent on oil
and gas.
Other benefits of the Bill include “the opportunity for our country, as a
member of the International Union for the protection of industrial property,
to secure maximum benefits from being party to what is known as the
Patent Co-operation Treaty, 1970 to which Nigeria has become a signatory.
“This Bill is a significant requirement for the improvement in the
attractiveness of Nigeria as an investment location. Its implementation is a
requirement for deepening trade relations in the global marketplace. It will
promote a self-sustaining system, thereby contributing to the national
treasury”, he said.
