President Joseph Nyumah Boakai has formally submitted eight international intellectual property treaties and protocols to the 55th Legislature for ratification “so as to lay the legal foundation for a modern, internationally aligned intellectual property (IP) ecosystem in Liberia”.
In a press release, the Liberia Intellectual Property Office (LIPO) noted that the action by the President fulfills a long-standing commitment to domesticate critical instruments that Liberia had signed or been eligible to accede to under the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), the African Regional Intellectual Property Organization (ARIPO), the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), and the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV), but had not yet been ratified.
“The action taken by the President is one of the most consequential steps ever taken in the history of IP governance in Liberia,” said Garmai Koboi, LIPO Director General. “This is a defining moment for every Liberian creator, farmer, and innovator who has labored without the full protection of international law. The President’s decision has therefore transformed years of pledges and discussions into concrete legislative action.”
According to the LIPO release, the President’s communication was read during the 15th Day Sitting of the 1st Quarter of the 3rd Session of the 55th Legislature, where the instruments were officially transmitted to the House of Representatives for review and legislative enactment. The House, the release added, has forwarded the President’s request to its relevant committees for review and recommendation before further action.
The treaties and protocols submitted by President Boakai come as his administration, under Pillar One of the ARREST Agenda (the national development plan), specifically Program 7 (Business Enabling Environment), has made the development of a robust national IP ecosystem a priority.
The domestication of these treaties and protocols, the release noted, is expected to fundamentally reshape Liberia’s IP ecosystem, giving creators enforceable rights over their works in digital and cross-border markets, while enabling farmers and plant breeders to legally protect new crop varieties and attract agricultural investment.
The treaties and protocols submitted by President Boakai include the WIPO Copyright Treaty, which modernizes copyright protection in the digital environment for authors and musicians; the WIPO Performances and Phonograms Treaty, which strengthens rights for musicians and sound producers in digital markets; and the UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (2003), covering oral traditions, performing arts, customary practices, and traditional craftsmanship.
Others are the WIPO Treaty on Intellectual Property, Genetic Resources and Associated Traditional Knowledge—known as the GRATK Treaty—promoting equity in the use of genetic resources and protecting indigenous communities; the UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions (2005), reinforcing national cultural policies; and the Arusha Protocol for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants, which establishes a regional plant breeders’ rights framework to advance agricultural innovation and food security among African countries.
The rest are the Kampala Protocol on Voluntary Registration of Copyright and Related Rights, which strengthens copyright registration and administration; and the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV), aimed at modernizing the seed sector and attracting investment in climate-resilient crop research.
According to LIPO, the action taken by President Boakai represents the fulfillment of a commitment made in October during a high-level ARIPO delegation visit, in which he reaffirmed his administration’s determination to ratify all outstanding IP instruments without delay.
“When President Boakai met with the ARIPO Director General, he made a personal commitment that this administration would not leave these treaties and protocols pending any longer. Today, he has honored that word,” Koboi added. “For the first time, the full legislative machinery of Liberia is being activated to bring these international frameworks into our national legal system—and that will change everything for the IP ecosystem.”
