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Patents

Patents

What is a patent? A patent is the title given to protect an invention. This title gives the owner the exclusive rights to use, make, or sell the invention for a limited period of time. An invention is a product or a process which solves a specific problem in the field of technology...

Copyright

Copyright

About Companies Legal and Investment Advice Types of Company Setting up a Company Tax and Social Security Non-profit Companies External Companies International Business Companies ABOUT COMPANIES Not all businesses are companies ...

Trade Marks

Trade Marks

What is a trade mark? A trade mark is the visible sign used to distinguish the goods (“trade mark”) or services (“service Mark”) of an enterprise. A trade mark may consist of words, designs, letters, pictures ...

Intellectual Property

Intellectual Property

The term Intellectual property (IP) refers to the body of works which is the result of a creative human mind or intellect. IP protects the interests of creators in their works giving them property rights over their creations ...

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Who Are We?

The Companies and Intellectual Property Office (CIPO) was established under Part II of the Patent Act, Act 8 of 1999. The CIPO is the National Companies and Intellectual Property Registry for the Commonwealth of Dominica and is a Department of the Ministry of National security and Home Affairs.

The CIPO is responsible for administering legislations, registering and keeping records in relation to Intellectual Property, Companies, Business Names and International Business Companies in Dominica.

Choosing Your Business Name:

  • NOT the same as a name already on the register in Dominica
  • NOT connected to any part of government (unless approved by the Minister)
  • NOT connected to a political party or its leader
  • NOT give a false impression of who will be employed
  • NOT give a false impression of where its products or services will come from

Copyright is the exclusive property rights given to protect the creators of literary and artistic works. The aim of copyright is to promote science, culture and the arts. Copyright reward the creators of works by granting them rights, and strike a balance between these rights, and the interest of the public and entrepreneurs such as publishers, broadcasters, record companies and the like.

The legal framework for copyright protection in Dominica is the Copyright Act, Act No. 5 of 2003.

The Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works (1886) which is the oldest international convention governing the protection of copyright, to which Dominica is a signatory, gives in broad terms what creations are to be protected by copyright laws:

"The expression 'literary and artistic works' shall include every production in the literary, scientific and artistic domain, whatever may be the mode or form of its expression, such as books, pamphlets and writings; lectures, address, sermons and other works of the same nature: dramatic or dramatico-musical works; choreographic works and entertainments in dumb show; musical compositions with or without works; cinematographic works to which are assimilated works expressed by a process analogous to cinematography; works of drawing, painting, architecture, sculpture, engraving and lithography; photographic works, to which are assimilated works expressed by a process analogous to photography; works of applied art; illustrations, maps, plans, sketches and three-dimensional works relative to geography, topography, architecture or science. … Translations, adaptations, arrangements of music and other alterations of a literary or artistic work shall be protected as original works without prejudice to the copyright in the original work… collections of literary or artistic works such as encyclopaedias and anthologies which, by reason of the selection are arrangement of their contents, constitute intellectual creations shall be protected as such, without prejudice to the copyright in each of the works forming part of such collections."

The owners of copyright have the exclusive right of authorizing public performance, broadcasting and communication to the public of their works. Therefore, the presentation of a play in a theatre or a musical concert in a hall, the playing of music in discotheques, in street jams must be authorized by the copyright owner.

He has to authorize the translation or adaptation of his work into another language, a play or a movie for example. These translations or adaptations are also protected by copyright laws in their own right as original works.

Works derived from those original works are also protected in their own rights, these include:

  • Translations, adaptations, arrangements and other transformations or modifications of works; and
  • Collections of works, collections of mere data (databases) whether in machine readable or other form, and collections of expressions of folklore, provided that such collections are original by reason of the selection or arrangement of their contents.

Newsletters

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June 2015 (PDF, 439KB)
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August 2015 (PDF, 767KB)
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September 2015 (PDF, 561KB)
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November 2015 (PDF, 721KB)
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January 2016 (PDF, 735KB)
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March 2016 (PDF, 739KB)
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May 2016 (PDF, 837KB)

Frequently Asked Questions

Any person, who is over eighteen years of age, is of sound mind and does not have the status of a bankrupt may incorporate a company.
Person may singly or jointly with others by subscribing to a Memorandum and to Articles, incorporate an International Business Company (IBC).
Any individual, partnership or firm carrying on business in Dominica under a business name other than his or their true names(s) shall register their business in accordance with the Registration of Business Names Act, Chap 78:46 of the Revised Laws of Dominica 1990.
The term Intellectual property (IP) refers to the body of works which is the result of a creative human mind or intellect. IP protects the interests of creators in their works giving them property rights over their creations. IP rights are protected by national laws and international agreements – treaties and conventions.
The Companies and Intellectual Property Office (CIPO) was established under Part II of the Patent Act, Act 8 of 1999. The CIPO is the National Companies and Intellectual Property Registry for the Commonwealth of Dominica and is a Department of the Ministry of Tourism and Legal Affairs

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