The UWI St. Augustine Campus is collaborating in the establishment of a National Intellectual Property Training Centre (NIPTC) for Trinidad and Tobago. The NIPTC is a joint project of the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) and the Intellectual Property Office of Trinidad and Tobago (TT IPO). WIPO and the TT IPO organized a virtual Training of Trainers Workshop on Intellectual Property for Creative Industries from April 14th 2021 to May 14th 2021, for predefined trainers of the NIPTC.
Professor Brian Copeland, Principal of The UWI St. Augustine Campus, delivered the Welcome Address at the Workshop, in which expressed his complete support for NIPTC and its projected 2022 launch. He pointed out the challenges in protecting intellectual property in the creative industries. Compounding this is also the differences in approach as to what the creative industries actually meant. Professor Copeland identified that the ultimate goal is to commercialise our intellectual property. This, he said, was long overdue, especially in music and the performing and visual arts. He observed that a higher degree of competence in applying the appropriate mix of IP protection tools and techniques was required in order to protect the integrity of original works, as well as the brand and business ideas of the artist. A good grasp of this complex area by persons in the industry was also necessary to understand licences and contracts.
Principal Copeland described The UWI St. Augustine research and innovation ecosystem (R&IE). Faculty Entrepreneurial Committees identified potential commercialisation projects and referred them to the St. Augustine Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (STACIE). STACIE provided all resources necessary to grow and identify projects for market entry through early stage financing and patent filing, and partners with industries, governments and other stakeholders. Furthermore, an Entrepreneurship Unit had been established in the Department of Management Studies to offer mentorship and advice on selected projects. UWI Ventures, a subsidiary of The UWI, was designed as a holding company for UWI spin-offs and start-ups.
32 prospective national trainers with the necessary knowledge and skills are participating in the Train-the-Trainers programme. Participants were drawn from the public and private sectors, as well as The UWI. Two STACIE staff members were included. Topics discussed during the creative industries sessions included copyright-related challenges such as fair remuneration, social media issues, and copyright enforcement for the music, fashion, film, and videogame sectors.
Updated July 2021
