Protecting art and literature

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The best way to protect intellectual property is through explaining its magnitude and uses to the public as well as young people at schools and universities, said Jaleen Moroney, chief of party for the USAID-funded Intellectual Property Rights Assistance (IPRA) Project. Moroney was addressing a recent seminar organised by IPRA on the importance of intellectual property rights protection. Sherine El-Madany listened in.

"Countries that protect intellectual property through registration of copyrights, trademarks, and patents can generate more income from exporting such assets to different countries," Moroney said.

The IPRA project has so far worked with four bodies in Egypt, namely the Academy of Science and Technology as well as the ministries of Culture, Supply and Internal Trade, and Agriculture to protect homegrown intellectual property. It has also provided employees in these ministries with proper equipment and training in different aspects of intellectual property.

Moroney said that a few Arab countries have signed intellectual property rights treaties which regrettably opened the door for infringement upon many literary works and films.

Habiba Al-Mohamady, an Algerian poet, complained that some of her work has been copied, "The state has to protect not only my security, but also my literary work and production."