Cabinet nod to amend Intellectual Properties Act

Cabinet Spokesman and Media Minister Keheliya Rambukwella  

• Trade Ministry to work with legal draftsman to improve protection for SL’s geographically important products

Cabinet approval has been given to amend the Intellectual Properties Act to protect Sri Lankan exports and their points of origin. 

Cabinet Spokesman and Media Minister Keheliya Rambukwella told reporters at the weekly Cabinet meeting that updating Sri Lanka’s intellectual property legislation, which was introduced in 2003, was essential to promoting local exports and ensuring they are not duplicated elsewhere. 

“There are a number of local products that can be promoted as geographically unique. Such products face big competition from counterfeit imitations in the local as well as foreign markets. It has been identified that it is appropriate to register such products in Sri Lanka as geographical indicators,” he said. 

Accordingly the Cabinet of Ministers approved the proposal presented by Trade Minister Wimal Weerawansa to advise the Legal Draftsman to draft a bill to amend the Intellectual Properties Act No. 36 of 2003, with the provisions to establish a comprehensive and definitive legal framework for the registration of geographical indications in Sri Lanka.

Stakeholders have previously called for a quicker and stronger mechanism to protect Sri Lanka’s intellectual property, to retain their importance and prevent duplication from competitors. The private sector has also called for greater assistance in registering trademarks in Sri Lanka to protect their intellectual property.