By Chloee Deveaux
Journal Staff Writer

Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs Senator Ryan Pinder announced that the
government will implement new legislation for the protection of domestic intellectual property
assets.
This announcement came during the recent Small Business Development Center, Access
Accelerator where Minister Pinder discussed the upcoming intellectual property law reform.
“The plain truth is that when it comes to providing necessary intellectual protection for our
people to protect their creations and business innovations, and the creation of a proper platform
for the domestic and international protection of these assets, The Bahamas has been negligent in
keeping up with international standards to provide you with adequate opportunities for economic
growth and development. Our laws are inadequate, our registration system is clunky, slow and
ineffective, and we are not party to the necessary international conventions to ensure
international protections to Bahamians who would want protection for their intellectual
property,” Minister Pinder said.
The legislation and regulations will address copyright protection, protection of new plant
varieties, false trade descriptions, and patent and trademark protection. The new legislation aims
to create better protections for creative industries and agriculture businesses.
The minister of legal affairs explained that the law reform will coincide with a public
consultation website and The Bahamas joining up to 11 new international Intellectual Property
Conventions.
Additionally, Minister Pinder revealed the upcoming opening of an Intellectual Property Office.
“Our government believes intellectual property protections is a foundational element of
economic empowerment for Bahamians. As such, we believe that the administration of
intellectual property rights requires a focused and dedicated Intellectual Property Office. Once
we have implemented our reforms, we will look to split the functions of administering
intellectual property rights in The Bahamas from where it currently lies, in the Registrar
General’s Office, and have a stand-alone, dedicated IP Office. This is the internationally
recognized best practice,” he said.
The website will launch in December and provide education for Bahamians on how to utilize the
new policy.
Senator Pinder added that the focus of the government’s intellectual property reform project is to
provide legal protection for citizens, a new financial mechanism and end the abuse of local
creative material.