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INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY COMPETITIVENESS Mauritius is now king A stronger African IP body is needed of competitiveness producers of fresh olives from using the While South Africa remains the most HE RECENTLY RELEASED 2013– same name.” powerful economy in Africa, its competitive 2014 Global Competitiveness While trademark issues do arise in the edge continues to be eroded by other up- T Report reflects an interesting day-to-day process of doing business, this shift in the two top-ranked countries latest ruling means that law firms must and-coming continental contenders. in sub-Saharan Africa, with Mauritius advise clients to seek greater protection. overtaking South Africa for the first as the Du Plessis admits that while this Mauritius benefits most competitive economy in the region. is a technical ruling, trademark owners from good Rwanda remains in third position. need to be mindful of this development. Produced each year by the World “They might have thought they were infrastructure Economic Forum (WEF), the report says protected more widely than they are. global economic prospects are more So it’s advisable to audit what they have positive in 2013–’14 than they were the and make sure they are registered in the The Mauritian previous period. Of particular significance right classes.” capital of Port to countries in sub-Saharan Africa is the Louis. The island has signifcantly i roved report’s assertion that the new global its co etitiveness economic landscape raises serious WHEN YOUR IP WALKS OUT THE DOOR rating since last year questions about the current distinction Employees leave companies. That’s positions. Only 47% of employees The researchers recommended a given. But when they do, how do believed their company took action that companies make a concerted you guard against the inevitable when an employee walked away with effort to educate employees about loss of corporate knowledge that sensitive information and 68% said the moral and legal issues around resides in those individuals? their firm didn’t take steps to ensure IP theft and back this up by the Towards the end of 2012, The that they weren’t using confidential enforcement of IP agreements and Ponemon Institute – a US-based information derived from third parties. nondisclosure agreements – which body that researches privacy, data Given increased corporate focus companies often had in place but protection and information security on IP-related issues, these results failed to action. Finally, the report policy – conducted a survey for showed a glaring divide between the recommended that organisations global security company Symantec lip-service companies pay to IP and implement “a data-protection policy entitled: ‘What’s Yours Is Mine: on-the-ground processes. that monitors inappropriate access How Employees Are Putting Your Ultimately, said the report, and use of IP and automatically Intellectual Property at Risk.’ organisations are failing to create notifies employees of violations, The study aimed to examine the an environment and culture that which increases security awareness problem of intellectual property promote employees’ responsibility and deters theft”. theft or abuse by employees in and accountability in protecting IP. “Education alone won’t solve the workplace. The results were The report puts the responsibility the problem of IP theft,” says based on responses from over for turning this situation around Lawrence Bruhmuller, Vice- 3 300 individuals in the United squarely on the shoulders on President of Engineering and States, the UK, France, Brazil, China corporations. “Only 38% of Product Management at Symantec. and Korea. employees say their manager views “Companies need data loss The study showed that 50% of data protection as a business priority, prevention technologies to monitor employees who left or lost their jobs and 51% think it is acceptable to use of IP and flag employee behaviour PHOTOS: GETTY/GALLO IMAGES held onto confidential corporate take corporate data because their that puts confidential corporate data data and 40% were planning to company does not strictly enforce at risk. The time to protect your IP is use this information in their new policies,” said the report. before it walks out the door.” 38 strategicmarketingafrica First quarter 2014 First quarter 2014 strategicmarketingafrica 39