CIIPO Observes Steady Growth in Intellectual Property Protection

According to the latest statistics from the Cayman Islands Intellectual Property Office (CIIPO), more businesses and corporate entities are protecting their brands in the Cayman Islands than ever before.

CIIPO has received 329 trade mark registration applications between January and June 2024, which is more than half of the total number of registrations for all of 2023. The revenue for the period was CI$1.31 million.

To date, CIIPO has 7,900 entries in its intellectual property (IP) register, including patents and designs, with 3,773 applications being submitted since the commencement of direct trade mark registration in August 2017.

CIIPO Director Candace Westby said, “These numbers reflect a growing desire by international brands to seek IP protection in the Cayman Islands. Our office will continue to enhance our operations and facilitate the safeguarding of IP rights.”

To implement best practices for better customer experience with IP in the Cayman Islands, CIIPO staff engaged in several initiatives from January to June.

• Four staff members participated in virtual training on trade mark examination, hosted by the UK IPO, from August 2023 to February 2024;

• CIIPO co-hosted an online trade mark roundtable, alongside the International Trademark Association (INTA), for IPOs in the English-speaking Caribbean in April 2024;

• One staff member, along with two members from the Ministry of Financial Services and Commerce, attended the INTA annual meeting in May 2024; and

• CIIPO staff took part in public speaking training in June 2024.

CIIPO also has undertaken several outreach initiatives to enhance the local understanding of IP rights.

A specialised training session was held in June with officers from various Cayman law enforcement agencies including the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service, Customs and Border Control, and the Department of Commerce and Investment. Also in June, CIIPO instructed Customs and Border Control recruits on the scope of IP protection.

For Cayman entrepreneurs and creatives, CIIPO offered information about how to protect their IP rights at workshops delivered at the Cayman Islands Centre for Business Development, and through other activities in April, held in observance of World Intellectual Property Day.

Going forward, CIIPO will continue to implement its strategic initiatives to improve the IP protection framework for residents and international clients.

For the remainder of this year, CIIPO will focus on:

• Removing the requirement for applicants to file their trade mark registrations through a registered agent, and removing the $200 application fee for individuals, small and micro business owners;

• Facilitating easier searches of all Cayman registered IP through CIIPO’s online database, and removing the $50 fee for simple searches;

• Achieving direct patent registration (through extension of the international Patent Corporation Treaty to the Cayman Islands, with the assistance of the UK IPO);

• Further modernisation of the IP legislative framework to incorporate international best practices; and

• Expanding their public education campaign to promote IP awareness in the community.