Outreach is key to our Unit’s activities in order to increase awareness on issues related to IP and to help creating a network of IP specialists on the African continent that meaningfully engages in national, regional and global debates on IP. At present, our Unit strives to significantly increase its coordinated outreach activities, both internally and externally.
Internally, outreach activities include regular seminars to interested faculty and students, presentation of current projects at relevant events such as the faculty’s “research day”, and an “update program” to present general updates and current IP trends of interest to the faculty. The Unit also organises workshops on Intellectual Property Law in other faculties with the goal of facilitating interdisciplinary research on IP law and policy.
As far as external outreach activities are concerned, members of the IP Unit will continue to seek external outreach opportunities, mainly through:
- external teaching
- external workshops, conferences and seminars
- short courses
- participation in public consultation processes on IP; and
- IP grassroot education and events.
Our collaboration with the University of Stellenbosch to jointly host a annual certificate short courses on IP is but one example of such external outreach activities. A key event for external outreach was the hosting of the Global Congress on IP and the Public Interest in Cape Town in December 2013.
The Unit also engages with relevant international organisations such as the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) -e.g., by contributing several presenters to WIPO’s annual Summer School in South Africa – as well as with outside parties with an interest in IP law such as industry and trade groups. Key vehicles for external outreach activities are this website and our IP Law Journal (IPLJ). The peer-reviewed journal IPLJ is published by Juta and provides a platform for debate on local and international IP issues with relevance to South Africa. The IPLJ publishes academic debates, policy interventions and practice-focused pieces. The IPLJ enjoys the support of an eminent Advisory Board drawn from the judiciary, academia and private practice from South Africa and beyond.
For enquiries relating to our outreach activities, please email us at info@ip-unit.org