BRITISH WEST INDIES
CARIBBEAN COUNTRIES GEAR UP TO EXPLOIT IP
Tira Greene Greene and Greene BRITISH
Several Caribbean islands have been undertaking activities aimed at exploiting intellectual property, as they seek to diversify their economic activities or increase them in the area of cultural export.
Economic partnership
A main catalyst for some of these activities is the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA), a trade agreement signed between the CARIFORUM (the forum of the Caribbean group of African, Caribbean and Pacifi c states) countries and the EU. One of the major features of the EPA is the Protocol on Cultural Cooperation. T is aims to create avenues of access for those who are not in commercial transactions but wish to enter Europe for other cultural activities, such as collaborating with Europeans.
Jamaica, Trinidad & Tobago and Barbados are the largest producers and exporters of cultural and creative IP products in the English-speaking Caribbean. Jamaica, land of reggae and dancehall music, and the lead net exporter of music in the Caribbean, recognised the importance of its cultural and creative industries in its National Export Strategy. T e strategy notes that the estimates of export earnings for dance, drama, fi lm and music are as high as $100 million. Film location projects contribute an estimated
$14 million in the local economy, with 1,500 to 2,500 employees who also export their services.
Trinidad & Tobago, home of steel bands and calypso, estimates that its entertainment industry generates $55 million annually. Under its Corporate Tax Act’s Arts and Culture Allowance, companies can obtain a 150 percent tax rebate on expenditure in respect of an artistic work up to a maximum of TT$1,000,000 ($118,000).
Various region-wide projects include initiatives aimed at improved government- industry relations through the harmonisation of government policy on trade and IP policies, and proactive policies aimed at promoting cultural diversity and investment in the cultural sector in bilateral and multilateral negotiations.
T e EPA also recognises the importance of e-commerce to allow businesses to capitalise on the trading opportunities created thereby. Accordingly, the EPA commits the parties to promote the development of e-commerce that is also fully compatible with the highest standards of data protection to ensure the confi dence of users of e-commerce. T is has driven eff orts by various countries, including Grenada and St Vincent and the Grenadines, to deal with data protection issues, especially in the health sector.
THE EPA COMMITS THE PARTIES TO PROMOTE THE DEVELOPMENT OF E-COMMERCE THAT IS ALSO FULLY COMPATIBLE WITH THE HIGHEST STANDARDS OF DATA PROTECTION TO ENSURE THE CONFIDENCE OF USERS.
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World Intellectual Property Review e-Digest 2013
www.worldipreview.com
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