Trademarks and Patents
The development and application of science and technology need an enabling regulatory environment that protects intellectual property rights (IPR) to encourage research and inventions. Patents and trademarks are examples of approaches to protecting inventions. Sub Saharan African countries operate under both international, regional, and domestic IPR regimes. For example, the International Treaty on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture "Plant Treaty" approved in 2001 announced an important principle under the Plant Treaty, the Farmers' Rights under which farmers are recognized as the guardians and holders of traditional knowledge and stewards of agricultural biodiversity. The Plant Treaty allows farmers to share benefits arising from the utilization of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture. There are only a few court cases involving IPR violation. Most of the cases deal with the situation where an importer attempts to register a product in the domestic market as their own trademark.