SERIAN: The protection and care of intellectual property rights must be taken seriously and properly maintained.

Serian Division Resident, Caroline Cleophas Joseph, highlighred that intellectual property rights are important as a key driver in promoting relevance and innovation.

This is a crucial enabler in advancing Sarawak’s Digital Economy Transformation Initiative, in line with the Sarawak Digital Economy Action Plan and the PCDS COVID-19 2030 plan.

She explained that intellectual property refers to creations of the mind such as inventions, symbols, and trade names, as well as artistic creations.

"Today, intellectual property is not just seen as a ‘protective legal shield’.

"It functions like other tangible assets, as it can be traded or licensed with significant value.

"The key elements include patents, trademarks, industrial design rights, copyrights, and geographical indications," she said.

She made these remarks during her speech at the 2024 Intellectual Property Empowerment Seminar for the Serian Division, held at the Serian Digital Hub on Monday.

Caroline mentioned that to manage intellectual property registration under relevant laws, the Sarawak government has designated the Sarawak Multimedia Authority (SMA) as the agency responsible for overseeing and coordinating the protection of IP created by government agencies and local communities.

She added that the government, through SMA, will ensure that all intellectual property generated by Sarawak government agencies is protected and utilised to foster Sarawak’s socio-economic growth, in particular.

“So far, many local products have been registered under intellectual property rights and have penetrated the global market, including Empurau fish, Sarawak Midin, and Bario rice.

In her closing remarks, she expressed hope that such programmes would be widely shared with young entrepreneurs in Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), so that residents in the Serian Division would not be left behind in understanding how to create, innovate, and protect their intellectual property, driving both their digital and conventional economies. -UKASnews