Trademark Protection Awareness: A Prerequisite for Entrepreneurial Success, Experts Say

SMEs and economic operators have been informed about the importance of protecting their trademarks in order to achieve their business goals.

A significant number of start-up entrepreneurs were, on September 4, 2024, educated on the benefits and drawbacks related to unprotected brands.

This took place during a workshop organized in collaboration with the African Intellectual Property Organization (OAPI) and the Agency for the Protection of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises in Douala.

The goal was to raise awareness among economic operators and SMEs about the importance of trademark protection, both nationally and internationally, as a critical component for business development and wealth creation.

The event also aimed to increase the number of applications for industrial property titles and pre-diagnostic applications.

According to Mr. Tongko Fabrice, representing the Ministry of Mines, Industry, and Technological Development, who was the main speaker of the day, a trademark is an asset through which SMEs and economic operators sell their products. It is therefore essential for them to understand its importance and why they must protect their trademarks.

The workshop, themed Trademark Protection: « Development Challenges for Businesses in Cameroon », was highly justified by key topics of focus, ranging from trademark protection and economic development, the economic and social consequences of trademark counterfeiting, the Madrid Protocol: challenges and benefits for Cameroonian businesses, and the trademark registration procedure.

Participants at the event expressed overwhelming satisfaction with the knowledge they acquired. Madam Cindy Tchatchouang, an entrepreneur in the agricultural sector who specializes in the official and legal business of transforming fruit tomatoes into paste, pointed out that she would seek to protect her trademark as soon as she leaves the workshop.

The representative of the Ministry of Mines emphasized that sanctions await those who infringe on trademarks, as a way to educate everyone on the dangers of brand piracy.

A follow-up meeting was scheduled for further exchanges between OAPI and SMEs in the coming days.

Meanwhile, in another event in Yaoundé presided over by the Director General of OAPI, Mr. Denis BOHOUSSOU, ten trainees from eight countries within the OAPI zone received their end-of-course certificates on Friday, September 6, 2024, after six months of training.

The training was conducted by professors, experts, and renowned practitioners from universities and specialized institutions in Africa and beyond.

This new initiative aims to help OAPI member countries develop competencies in the field of authors’ rights and related rights.