By Musa Saho
The Registrar General Office under the Ministry of Justice, recently received two reports of alleged trademark infringements of cooking gas cylinders (Njegan Gas) and Sweets (MEELOOKY)’
According to the Registrar General, Mr. Abdoulie Colley, these alleged trademark infringement entails alleged violations of multiple laws of The Gambia, such as Industrial Property Laws, Consumer Protection Standards and Food Safety. He warned that these alleged infringement may pose danger to public health and safety.
Mr. Colley added that, this deliberate alleged infringement is an indication that the alleged infringers appreciate the importance of intellectual property and want to free ride on an investment in idea, time and resources that a particular business entity has invested in over the years.
“Even though intellectual property is generally civil in nature, certain infringements are criminalized in the laws of the Gambia. The Office of Registrar General will therefore do all that it takes for the alleged trademark infringers to face the full force of the law,” the Registrar General asserted.
He used the opportunity to advice businesses and individuals that intellectual property right is valuable and personal and they should desist from its violation.
He implored establishments to create their own intellectual property rights such as trademark, industrial design, trade secret which may be more relevant for their business. He added that these intellectual property rights must be registered at the office of Registrar General at the Ministry of Justice.
