26/03/2025
The Ghana Industrial Property Office Of The Registrar General's Department hosted a delegation of the Austrian Patent Office (APO) in conjunction with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) PCT Division Office in Accra today for a 3-day seminar.
In attendance were staff the WIPO PCT Office, the Austrian Patent office, IP officers from the Gambia, Sierra Leone and Liberia and Ghana as well as Ghanaian stakeholders including law firms, research institutes and universities.
The aim of the seminar is to discuss and share knowledge on the international route for the registration of patents using the Patent Cooperation Treaty which Ghana became party to in 1996, as well as receive training on use of the WIPO tool, the Patentscope database. Today’s session introduced participants to the Ghanaian patent system, the Austrian patent system and the international filing route of the PCT. The Austrian office, a recognized International Search Authority also introduced participants to examples of collaborative services it offers to public research institutions and students to encourage innovation.
It was a stimulating conversation where stakeholders shared challenges and learned ways of collaborating to increase local patent activity within their institutions and with their respective IP offices.
We look forward to Day 2 of the discussions.
