Chairman of the Egyptian Intellectual Property Authority (EGIPA), received on Thursday Japan’s Ambassador to Egypt Fumio Iwai, at the authority’s headquarters in the New Capital.
First Secretary at the Japanese Embassy Kazumasa Miyagawa attended.
As the meeting started, Azmy welcomed the ambassador, who lauded the authority’s pivotal role at both the national and international levels for protecting intellectual property rights, and describing it as an integrated institutional model to be emulated.
Azmy reviewed the establishment and mandates of the authority, as well as its organisational structure, which brings together various intellectual property sectors under a unified umbrella.
He also highlighted the National Intellectual Property Strategy and its objectives, which the EGIPA is carrying out, in coordination and integration with various state entities and institutions.
The meeting also addressed the role of the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) in supporting EGIPA’s efforts and enhancing frameworks for international co-operation, thereby reinforcing Egypt’s position among leading global IP offices.
The two sides also discussed the institutional development efforts, particularly in digital transformation.
Egypt’s experience in unifying the intellectual property system under a single institutional entity is a pioneering model internationally and has received praise during WIPO meetings, the EGIPA chief noted.
In response to the Japanese ambassador’s inquiry on the mechanisms for protecting emerging technologies and intellectual property rights in Egypt, Deputy EGIPA Chairman, Mona Mohamed Yehia, explained that the authority provides a comprehensive legal framework to protect various IP fields, in co-operation with law enforcement bodies, while also offering its technical expertise to support judicial enforcement procedures.
For his part, the Japanese ambassador highlighted the strategic importance of the animation industry in Japan as a leading creative sector, noting Japanese companies’ interest in the Egyptian market and stressing that a strong intellectual property protection environment is a key factor in attracting investment.
Several officials from the authority and the embassy attended the discussions.
