The celebration is targeted at the general public, youth, women, small and medium businesses, government departments involved in the field of IP and the creative industry

PRETORIA, South Africa, April 18, 2018/ -- The Department of Trade and Industry (the dti), in partnership with the Companies and Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC), National Intellectual Property Management Office (NIPMO), Limpopo Economic Development Agency, Technology Innovation Agency, Africa Bio, University of Limpopo, University of Venda and the Limpopo Premier's Office will celebrate the World Intellectual Property Day in Bolivia Lodge, Polokwane, Limpopo from 24-26 April 2018.

The Intellectual Property (IP) Day will be celebrated under the theme Powering Change: Women in Innovation and Creativity. The Commissioner of CIPC, Advocate Rory Voller will give an opening address at the celebration.

According to the Minister of Trade and Industry, Dr Rob Davies, the objective of the World Intellectual Property Day (WIPD) celebration, is to recognise human creativity and acknowledge the socio-economic importance of intellectual property.

"Intellectual Property has been fundamental to South Africa's economic growth, and even more so, as we build a future economy that is driven by knowledge and innovation. We have spent the past decade building a robust ecosystem in which businesses can use IP to create value from their technology, brands and content. The celebration is also aimed at promoting the protection of intellectual property and creating awareness about intellectual property rights," says Davies

The celebration is targeted at the general public, youth, women, small and medium businesses, government departments involved in the field of IP and the creative industry. It offers us an opportunity to highlight the work that is done by government with regards to IP.

The celebration will include exhibitions by the dti, National Intellectual Property Management Office, Technology Innovation Agency, Limpopo Economic Development Agency, Africabio, the Limpopo Premier's Office, the University of Venda, the University of Limpopo as well as creators and innovators in Limpopo.

The Intellectual Property Day is an annual event that is celebrated worldwide and this year will mark the 18th celebration of the day.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of The Department of Trade and Industry, South Africa