Webinar on Intellectual Property rights

David Njuguna
Manager, Patents
Kenya Industrial Property Institute

25th November 2021 Intellectual Property Rights 1

About …KIPI
Government agency established in 2001
• Industrial property Act 2001
• Patents, Industrial Designs, Utility models

• Trade Marks Act

• Trade marks (goods and services)

25th November 2021 Intellectual Property Rights 2

Types of Intellectual Property Rights
KIPI
Patents
utility models
Industrial Designs
Trade Marks

25th November 2021 Intellectual Property Rights 3

Other Intellectual Property rights
Copyright and related rights
• Copyright Act, 2001
• Kenya Copy Right Board
Plant Breeders Rights
• The Seeds and Plant Varieties Act
• KEPHIS
Trade Secrets/Confidential
• Yourself/Courts
25th November 2021 Intellectual Property Rights 4
Rationale for IP protection
Fairness
• Right of creators/inventors
• Reward for endeavour
Economic
• Incentive for creativity
Public benefit
• New products/technologies
• Disclosure of technological information to the public
25th November 2021 Intellectual Property Rights 5
Patents
Grant of exclusive rights
• for a limited time;
• over a specific invention
• constituting an advance in technology;

• in return for disclosure of the technological advance to the

public.

25th November 2021 Intellectual Property Rights 6

What can you Patent?
Invention
• a solution to a specific problem in the field of technology.
• invention must be wrt:
• Product (e.g. vaccine, drug, keyboard, mouse) and/or
• Process/method
Inventor
• a “person” who devices an invention
• identified in a patent application
25th November 2021 Intellectual Property Rights 7
What can you patent?
Example: Infusion containers/lids
Patentable subject matter
Example: Product (Apparatus/device/container)
A container for serving take-away tea in fast food
establishment.

25th November 2021 Intellectual Property Rights 9

Patentable subject matter
Example: Product
A container for serving infused beverages made
from infusion bags having a string (11) and a tag (12)
attached, the container comprising:
• a receptacle (8) for holding liquid (9),
• a lid (1) for the receptacle (8) provided with an
opening (7) having a first portion through which
the string (11) of the infusion bag can move into
and out of the container and a second portion
which is capable of gripping the string (11) of the
infusion bag.

25th November 2021 Intellectual Property Rights 10

Patentable subject matter
Method or Process
• Recites a sequence of steps that complete a task or accomplish
a result.
Example:
• A method of making tea, the method comprising:
• Boiling water;
• adding sugar to the boiling water;
• adding tea leaves to the boiling water to form a mixture;
• filtering the mixture; and
• adding milk to the mixture.

25th November 2021 Intellectual Property Rights 11

Non patentable subject matter
Schemes, rules and methods of
• doing business
• e.g. Multilevel marketing, “chamas”, merry-go -round,
accounting, insurance, bank schemes (e.g. diva)
• Performing purely mental acts
• playing games
• e.g. method of playing double football

25th November 2021 Intellectual Property Rights 12

Non patentable subject matter
Discoveries
• E.g. Why giraffes have long necks but do not faint
scientific theories, mathematical methods
• E=MC2
• But device using such theories are patentable
Methods of treatment of humans/animals by surgery or
therapy
Presentation of information
• e.g. advertising on a road surface/hot air balloon/inside cover
of a book

25th November 2021 Intellectual Property Rights 13

Requirements for obtaining a patent
Application in countries of interest
• Details of applicants/inventors
• Description of the invention
• Detailed to enable a person skilled in the art, to make, use and to
evaluate the invention.
• Claims
• define the scope of protection
• Drawings (where applicable)
• abstract

25th November 2021 Intellectual Property Rights 14

Claims

Images sourced from google images

25th November 2021 Intellectual Property Rights 15

Requirements for grant of patent

Novelty Invention must be new

Involves an
Inventive step not obvious

Industrially
applicable capable of being made in the industry

25th November 2021 Intellectual Property Rights 16

Benefit of patent protection
Right to exclude others from exploiting the invention.
• Making, importing, selling, using the invention
• Rights may be assigned (transferred) or licensed
Any other person performing these acts without
owner’s authorization infringes
Period of protection
• 20 years

25th November 2021 Intellectual Property Rights 17

Limitation of patent rights
Prior user not affected by patent
Patents granted for a specific country/territory
Claims determine scope
Rights only prohibit commercial exploitation and not
scientific research.
Period of protection in Kenya: 20 years
Subject to payment of annual fees.
25th November 2021 Intellectual Property Rights 18
Limitation of patent rights
Exhaustion of rights/parallel importation
• Once patentee puts patented products in the market
• Any other person can buy and sell
Compulsory licence
• By Industrial Property Tribunal upon request by another
person
Patents can be revoked/invalidated
• By Industrial Property tribunal
25th November 2021 Intellectual Property Rights 19
Limitation of patent rights
A Patent granted in one country is not enforceable in
another country.
No single “world/international patent”…yet!

25th November 2021 Intellectual Property Rights 20

Entitlement/Ownership
 Invention belongs to inventor
• First to file rule
 commissioned/employee invention
• In absence of any agreement
• Invention belongs to the person who commissioned the
work or the employer.
 rights may be assigned or transferred
Image source: google images

25th November 2021 Intellectual Property Rights 21

Patent Rights and infringement
Right to exclude others from exploiting the invention.
• Making, importing, selling, using the invention.

Any other person performing these acts without

owner’s authorization infringes.

25th November 2021 Intellectual Property Rights 22

Examples of commercialized inventions
Patent No.: KE 55
Filed on: 19/11/1996
Granted on 22/04/1998
Owner: Anna Chepkonga (later founded Cockrid Kenya
Ltd)
Title of invention: Insecticidal bait composition.
Abstract: An insecticidal composition which is effective
against cockroaches and other pests which contains specific
amount of boric acid and other insecticide formulations.
25th November 2021 Intellectual Property Rights 23
Examples: KE 55
Trade Mark registered: Cockrakil®
Patent used against threat of infringement
Company has ventured into other products/service
• Pest control
• Cleaning services

http://cockrid.co.ke/index.php
25th November 2021 Intellectual Property Rights 24
2: Utility models
Innovations that give some utility, advantage, saving
or technical effect not available in Kenya before.
Improvements that may not qualify for patent

25th November 2021 Intellectual Property Rights 25

Example of registered utility models
Utility model No: 129
Registered: 18/01/2017
Title: Portable burner device
 Owner: DEVELATECH LTD

25th November 2021 Intellectual Property Rights 26

Utility model requirements
Filing Requirements
Similar to patent
• Request (Form IP3)
• Description of invention
• Claims
• Drawings (where necessary)

25th November 2021 Intellectual Property Rights 27

Benefits of Protection
Exclusive rights to the owner
• to make, use or sell invention in Kenya.
legal action against another party who infringes the
rights.
Period of protection
• 10 years
• Annual fees

25th November 2021 Intellectual Property Rights 29

3: Industrial designs
Generally concerns protection of appearance of
products (articles)
• Shape/configuration
• Pattern/ornamentation

What makes an article attractive and appealing

 adds to the commercial value of a product

25th November 2021 Intellectual Property Rights 30

Industrial designs: Examples

Display stand Perfume bottle ceiling board Blister pack Bed

25th November 2021 Intellectual Property Rights 31

Application requirements
Request (form IP27)
Graphic representations of the article
• Drawings or photographs

Filing fee - Ksh. 3000

25th November 2021 Intellectual Property Rights 32

Requirements for registration
Design registrable if it is new (novel)
• Universal novelty
• Identical or similar design must not have been disclosed before
the filing date
Examination
Publication in Journal
• Publication fee - Ksh. 3000
• 60 days opposition period
Registration
• Registration fee - Ksh. 1000

25th November 2021 Intellectual Property Rights 33

Rights conferred
Right to prevent others from
• Copying the design
• Offering for sale articles embodying the design

Period of protection
• 5 years
• renewable after 5 for up to 15 years

25th November 2021 Intellectual Property Rights 34

 End
Thank you

[email protected]

@kipikenya
www.kipi.go.ke
@dnjuguna
25th November 2021 Intellectual Property Rights 35