As part of the inter-governmental cooperation between St. Kitts and Nevis and Montserrat, a representative from our Ministry of Justice, Legal Affairs and Communications was present in Montserrat to assist their Government’s efforts to empower entrepreneurs.
From November 25 th to 30 th , 2018, the Ministry of Communications, Works and Labour (MCWEL) in Montserrat hosted its National Information Communication Technology (ICT) Week under the theme
Montserrat in a Digital World: Green, Connected and Thriving”. As part of the activities, on Wednesday 28 th , a “Level Up” workshop for entrepreneurs was hosted at the Montserrat Cultural Center with the goal of presenting them with information to transform their hobbies and businesses into lucrative ventures. The morning’s presentations included banking and financing information from the Bank of Montserrat as well as business, marketing and promotion advice from Ms. Nerissa Golden, who is a media strategist, business coach, journalist and author.
However, the afternoon sessions of the workshop were facilitated by Ms. Jihan Williams, Registrar (Ag.) of the Intellectual Property Office of St. Kitts and Nevis (IPOSKN). Having had sight of social media marketing posters for a similar workshop by the IPOSKN for creative entrepreneurs in St. Kitts in March and in Nevis in April 2018, the Montserratian Ministry responsible for ICT extended an invitation to Ms. Williams to present at the workshop on copyright, trademarks and contracts in business. The presentations examined the intellectual property (IP) legal framework in Montserrat, gave advice on how to identify and protect IP in business and provided participants with basic information on contracts to enable them to draft simple agreements with their clients.
Montserrat’s ICT Director, Ms. Loni Howe said of her sessions, “[They] were critical for persons in the ICT field here on Montserrat, participants were enthused and were able to learn all about their rights as creatives in the field, it is timely as the way the world is going nowadays everything is ICT based, and protecting your work in every area is extremely important and at MCWEL we understand this all too well. Ms. Williams was extremely knowledgeable in the intellectual property field. I was particularly impressed with the research she did on Montserrat before presenting, so she was able to answer questions not only on the international and regional levels but also on the local front. The information she gave was well research well presented in a way that every person in room could understand and relate to. The Participants are still giving me feedback days after on how impressed they were with her presentation. We hope to work with Jihan again in the near future.”
The Intellectual Property Office of St. Kitts and Nevis is located in the Cable Building, Cayon Street. For more information on IP or the Office, please refer to www.ipo.gov.kn or the Office’s Facebook page.
