UP Celebrates World Intellectual Property Day

Prof Stephanie Burton, Vice Principal at UP, and CIPC Deputy Commissioner, Adv Rory Voller, welcomed delegates. Among the speakers were representatives of the CIPC, Microsoft, Multichoice, UNISA and UP. The speakers addressed relevant, challenging and often controversial topics, resulting in engaging, absorbing and thought-provoking discussions.

The University of Pretoria was represented by Chris Broodryk, a lecturer at the Drama Department. He provided an encouraging glimpse on the University’s involvement in the highly underestimated South African film industry. Werner van Straaten, an academic associate and postgraduate student at the UP Centre for Intellectual Property Law presented a paper on “orphan works”.  Orphan works occur where the owner of a copyrighted work cannot, after a reasonable search, be identified and located by someone who wishes to make use of the work in a manner that requires permission of the copyright owner.

The Symposium was well-attended by professors, state advocates and lawyers as well as members of the SAPS, DALRO and Multichoice. It was a huge success and highlighted the importance of intellectual property law in South Africa. The symposium also confirmed the high regard which industry partners have for the UP Centre for Intellectual Property Law and the University of Pretoria.