Developing an intellectual property rights framework in the Southern African Development Community

The present report presents the outcomes of a desk study on developing a framework for intellectual property rights in the Southern African Development Community (SADC). In addition to recommendations on streamlining and harmonizing issues over intellectual property rights at the national and regional levels, the report includes proposals for templates for national policy frameworks on intellectual property for adaptation by SADC member States, national legal and regulatory frameworks and national infrastructure on intellectual property rights and a road map for the adoption and adaptation of each of the proposed templates.