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Congratulations to the Caribbean states on the launch of a new EU-funded project designed to strengthen the Intellectual Property environment in the region.

The Caribbean project, for which the EUIPO is acting as the implementing agency, is designed to help deliver the expected benefits of the Economic Partnership Agreement signed by the EU and the Forum of Caribbean states (CARIFORUM).

Forum of Caribbean States: Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, St. Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago.

Since IP users frequently operate in a global environment, the EUIPO has been deeply involved in international cooperation on IP matters for some years. This includes acting as implementing agency for a number of of EU-funded IP-related projects in China, the ASEAN Region and Latin America.

The CARIFORUM IP Rights and Innovation project (CARIPI) will be followed later this year by additional EU-funded IP projects in Africa and Georgia.

This kind of closer cooperation lays the ground for a more sustainable long-term regional framework on IP, and is complemented by the EUIPO’s bilateral cooperation with non-EU IP offices and its multi-lateral cooperation with TM5/ID5 which comprises the world’s five largest trade mark and design offices.

There is an important economic dimension to expanding IP cooperation. Collectively, the 33 countries forming the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States are the EU's fifth largest trading partner and the EU has fully fledged trade agreements with both CARIFORUM and the Central America group.

CARIPI, which formally got under way last November, now has its own project website. The project will run initially for four years and aims to create stronger IP offices, ensure the availability of effective IPR enforcement mechanisms, contribute to the development of a sustainable and innovative private sector, and make it easier to do business both within the region and between the EU and CARIFORUM.

Press release