NLIPW Trademarks Law Volume 1 Number 9
eDigest
(SMEs and Legal Reforms)
July 15, 2013
Content Sources
This paper examines the definition of trademarks in Nigeria and looks at the procedure for registering and licensing trademarks in Nigeria. The paper also examines how licensing of trademarks encourages the development of Small and Medium Scale enterprises (SMEs) in Nigeria and some of the problems militating against the development of SMEs in Nigeria. Read more
This article details the history of trademarks and their protection in Nigeria, notably through the Trademarks Ordinance, 1914, and the Trademarks Act Cap 436 of 1965.
It concludes that the Nigerian courts have a good grasp of the law on trademark and allied cases and are able to promote commerce while at the same time protecting genuine investors. Read more
The Bill for the establishment of the Nigerian Intellectual Property Commission (NIPCOM) before the Nigerian National Assembly was suspended or abandoned before the April 2011 general election. This article reflects on the re-emergence of the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) in the national legislative agenda after suffering the same faith of abandonment.
This article enjoins the legislature to re-energise the NIPCOM Bill for Nigeria to leverage on the use of several measures accepted by the Agreement on Trade Related-Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) to ensure that intellectual property protection does not override the rights and health of Nigerian.
The article argues that Nigerian universities and Nigerian Bar Association may be failing in their social responsibility to Nigerians which should involve using their institutional capacities to sustain the pressure for reform agenda and enlightening the populace on the need for social reform, rather than allowing civil and political unrest to determine the nation’s reform agenda. Read more
