ASIP Signing of International Publishing Agreements
29 Apr 2003The Minister of Culture Ghazi Alaridi has stated that there is no chance to talk about intellectual property (IP), with the existence of a system abundant with corruption and in the absence of transparency, pointing out to the fears relating to the UN’s role, and an American trespassing to the concept of globalization and the WTO and overthrowing them.
Minister Alaridi’s statements came during a signing by the Arab Society for Intellectual Property (ASIP) with the Sader Publishing House on international publishing contracts at the financial headquarters of the publishing institute. These contracts include the Encyclopedia for Arab Laws and Rulings on IP and the Abu-Ghazaleh IP Dictionary. The event took place in the presence of ASIP Chairman Dr. Talal Abu-Ghazaleh, Chairman of the Sader Publishing House Mr. Joseph Sader, members of the society in Lebanon and the Arab world, the executive committee and honorary consultants.
Mr. Abu-Ghazaleh pointed out the Arab Certified Intellectual Property Practitioner program (ACIPP), which is the first program related to IP education in the Arab world and may be the most ambitious project undertaken by the regional Arab society that is concerned with IP issues across the entire Arab region. The program will include three types of certificates:
A trademarks certificate, a copyrights certificate and a patents certificate. Whoever succeeds in obtaining all three of these degrees becomes an IP certified practitioner or expert.
He added that through European financing, it’s been decided to create a center for the encouragement of innovation, which will be located in the Basel Center in Damascus. The center will encourage Arab inventors and innovators to transform their innovations into commercial products. Further, he stated that the society began compilation of the rulings and decisions issued by Arab courts relating to IP into one volume, and this will be described on the society’s website. He also said that creating the first arbitration center on IP issues is being discussed.
Minister Alaridi said that globalization needs to be redefined, pointing to the American overreach when it came to globalization and the WTO, and calling for adjustments to the constant and ever-changing variables.
He displayed apprehension at the delicate role of the UN while also pointing to the practices of the USA in Iraq, stating: “We see colonization that comes to impose educational curricula on an entire people and therefore impose a certain culture.”
He also criticized the pursuit by Iraqi scientists and innovators of items that contradict IP. He further addressed the issue of trade secrets and pointed out to the numerous violations and corruption in companies, in addition to the deficiency on the ruling in the cables issue of Lebanon.
At the end of the signing, Abu-Ghazaleh presented Minister Alaridi with the ASIP shield.
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