By: Wilmot Konah
Capitol Hill, Monrovia: The Honorable House of Representatives has received a formal communication from President Joseph N. Boakai submitting several international conventions and protocols for legislative enactment, including the WIPO Performances and Phonograms Treaty.
The treaty, adopted under the framework of the World Intellectual Property Organization, provides enhanced protection for performers and producers of phonograms, particularly in the digital environment. It addresses rights relating to reproduction, distribution, and online transmission of sound recordings.
The President’s communication, read during the 15th Day Sitting of the 1st Quarter of the 3rd Session of the 55th Legislature, forms part of a broader package of intellectual property and cultural instruments aimed at strengthening Liberia’s legal framework in the creative and innovation sectors.
Also submitted for legislative enactment were the 2005 Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions, the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, the Kampala Protocol on Voluntary Registration of Copyright and Related Rights and the Arusha Protocol for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants of the African Regional Intellectual Property Organization, the International Convention for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants, and the WIPO Copyright Treaty.
If enacted by the Legislature, the instruments would pave the way for Liberia to align its domestic intellectual property and cultural protection laws with international standards. The communication has been forwarded to the relevant committees for review and recommendation before further action by Plenary.
