A to Z of official African websites No.50: Togo

Although the sound of popping corks may be a little faint, since Togo's online IP infrastructure doesn't give much cause for celebration, Afro Leo is happy to celebrate the fact that Kingsley Egbuonu's marathon A to Z quest for official intellectual property sites in Africa has now reached its fiftieth post. Well done, Kingsley -- this has been a labour of love and of dedication.

This is what Kingsley has to say about Togo:

Overview
Togo is a Contracting Party to a number of treaties on intellectual property including the Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property and the Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works. Togo is also a Member of the OAPI.

Copyright Office

• The Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport, Togolese Copyright Office is the competent office responsible for copyright and related rights in Togo. 

• The website for this office is www.butodra.org and it is in French.

Industrial Property Office

• The National Institute for Industrial Property and Technology (INPIT) is the competent office responsible for the administration of intellectual property rights in Togo.

• The office currently has no website.

Social Media Presence

None found.

Intellectual Property update in Togo

Afro-IP has reported on various developments of practical significance in recent times, including posts here and here. 

Conclusion 

Afro-IP found a website for the copyright office in Togo -- though it contains very little, and basic, information. The situation could be worse: to be fair, we have seen some OAPI members (here, here and here) and which lack even a single web page.

Like other countries in the continent, Togo has a diverse but rich culture and heritage here and here which require protection. It has produced one of finest in Africa – The late Paul Ahyi.

We hope to see Togo take intellectual property awareness seriously for the benefit of its future creators and innovators.

Kingsley tweets as @IPinAfrica