MOROGORO: THE Business Registrations and Licensing Agency (BRELA) has urged military and security institutions to register and legally protect their innovations to establish ownership, prevent unauthorised use and enhance the value of their products and services.
The agency said protecting innovations through proper registration would help institutions to safeguard their intellectual property, promote innovation and ensure that their products and services are legally recognised and commercially valued. BRELA Chief Executive Officer Godfrey Nyaisa was speaking on Tuesday while opening a two-day training programme on intellectual property for military institutions in Morogoro.
Mr Nyaisa said the programme aims to equip military officers with knowledge of various forms of intellectual property that can be legally protected, including trademarks and service marks, patents for inventions, industrial designs and other intellectual property assets.
“Essentially, the training will focus on the importance and contribution of intellectual property to military institutions in the country, including the Tanzania People’s Defence Force (TPDF), the National Service (JKT), the Police Force and the Prisons Service,” Mr Nyaisa said.
He said participants would also learn how to register and protect their innovations, ensuring that products manufactured and services provided by their institutions are legally recognised and safeguarded.
Mr Nyaisa noted that greater awareness of intellectual property rights would enable the institutions to identify and protect their innovations while creating opportunities to use them to improve the quality and value of their products and services.
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He also commended Mzinga Corporation for registering and legally protecting its innovation, known as the “Pepper Thunder Flash Device”, which uses pepper to deter elephants without harming people or the environment.
“I would particularly like to commend Mzinga Corporation for taking steps to legally protect its innovation. This example demonstrates the importance of institutions recognising the value of the innovations they develop and ensuring that they receive appropriate legal protection,” Mr Nyaisa said.
Assistant Superintendent of Prisons Kitila Kitandu, from the Prisons Service Headquarters, thanked BRELA for organising the training for military and security institutions saying is valuable for them to make ownership of their innovations.
“The institutions were involved not only in securityrelated duties but also in producing goods and developing various technological innovations, making intellectual property protection essential to safeguarding our work and ensuring that we benefit from our innovations,” Mr Kitandu said.