Intellectual Property and its Role in Economic Development, Kuwait 30-31 March 2014

On the 30 and 31 March 2014 a conference and exhibition on Intellectual Property and its Role in Economic Development at the Kuwait Marriott. The event was organized by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry of Kuwait in collaboration with the University and the Gulf Co-operation Council.

The event's objective was

"to activate the community partnership between the official bodies concerned with intellectual property and private sector business represented by the owners of the trademarks authorized in the local market and regional and international experts concerned with the implementation of IPRs laws highlighting the importance of providing adequate protection to the production and services companies, as well as safeguarding human health, safety and environment from the damages resulting from trading in counterfeited goods and their impacts on countries' economies."

The organizers set out to achieve those objectives by

• promoting avenues for activating the role of the intellectual property in economic development;
• encouraging and motivating inventors and individuals with creative thoughts;
• highlighting the official efforts exerted by the State of Kuwait in enacting IP regulatory laws and legislations and implementation thereof;
• highlighting the damages caused by counterfeited trade marks and raising consumers' awareness of such damages;
• exchanging expertise and experiences of the GCC States, the other Arab countries and international organizations.

Four topics were discussed:

• counterfeit trade marks, their damage to the national economy and how to combat and control them;
• the economic and industrial importance of patents;
• Kuwait's national IP legislation; and
• the role of chambers of commerce and other private sector organizations in suppressing counterfeiting.

Speakers included the Kuwaiti Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Commerce and Industry, the GCC Secretary General, the Assistant Undersecretary for International Trade and Intellectual Property Affairs in Kuwait, the Dean of the Law Faculty of Kuwait University and the Chair of the Intellectual Property Training Centre.