Companies and Intellectual Property Authority

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CIPA
Government parastatal overview
Formed25 March 2011 (2011-03-25)
Jurisdiction Botswana
Headquarters Gaborone, Botswana
Government parastatal executive
  • Paul Conductor Masena, Chief Executive Officer
Parent departmentMinistry of Trade and Industry of Botswana
Website www.cipa.co.bw

Companies and Intellectual Property Authority (CIPA) [1] is Botswana's registrar of companies and is a government parastatal. It falls under the Ministry of Trade and Industry. All forms of companies (as permitted by Botswana Companies and Intellectual Property Authority Act) are incorporated and registered with CIPA and file specific details as required by the current Companies and Intellectual Property Authority Act. [2] All registered limited companies, including subsidiary, small and inactive companies, must file annual financial statements in addition to annual company returns. Registering of companies is now done online since the introduction of online business registration system launched by Bogolo Kenewendo . [3]

Contents

Types of companies

There are many different types of companies, including:

See also

Related Research Articles

Intellectual property Ownership of ideas and processes

Intellectual property (IP) is a category of property that includes intangible creations of the human intellect. There are many types of intellectual property, and some countries recognize more than others. The best-known types are copyrights, patents, trademarks, and trade secrets. The modern concept of intellectual property developed in England in the 17th and 18th centuries. The term "intellectual property" began to be used in the 19th century, though it was not until the late 20th century that intellectual property became commonplace in the majority of the world's legal systems.

World Intellectual Property Organization Specialised agency of the United Nations

The World Intellectual Property Organization is one of the 15 specialized agencies of the United Nations (UN). Pursuant to the 1967 Convention Establishing the World Intellectual Property Organization, WIPO was created to promote and protect intellectual property (IP) across the world by cooperating with countries as well as international organizations. It began operations on 26 April 1970 when the convention entered into force. The current Director General is Singaporean Daren Tang, former head of the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore, who began his term on 1 October 2020.

Business Organization undertaking commercial, industrial, or professional activity

Business is the activity of making one's living or making money by producing or buying and selling products. Simply put, it is "any activity or enterprise entered into for profit."

U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Government agency overseeing stock exchanges

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is an independent agency of the United States federal government, created in the aftermath of the Wall Street Crash of 1929. The primary purpose of the SEC is to enforce the law against market manipulation.

Limited company Type of business entity

In a limited company, the liability of members or subscribers of the company is limited to what they have invested or guaranteed to the company. Limited companies may be limited by shares or by guarantee. In a company limited by shares, the liability of members is limited to the unpaid value of shares. In a company limited by guarantee, the liability of owners is limited to such amount as the owners may undertake to contribute to the assets of the company, in the event of being wound up. The former may be further divided in public companies and private companies. Who may become a member of a private limited company is restricted by law and by the company's rules. In contrast, anyone may buy shares in a public limited company.

A patent attorney is an attorney who has the specialized qualifications necessary for representing clients in obtaining patents and acting in all matters and procedures relating to patent law and practice, such as filing patent applications and oppositions to granted patents. The term is used differently in different countries, and thus may or may not require the same legal qualifications as a general legal practitioner.

Companies House is the United Kingdom's registrar of companies and is an executive agency and trading fund of Her Majesty's Government, falling under the remit of the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. All forms of companies are incorporated and registered with Companies House and file specific details as required by legislation. All registered limited companies, including subsidiary, small and inactive companies, must file annual financial statements in addition to annual company returns, and all these are public records. Only some registered unlimited companies are exempt from this requirement.

Intellectual Property Office (United Kingdom) Patent Office of the United Kingdom

The Intellectual Property Office of the United Kingdom is, since 2 April 2007, the operating name of The Patent Office. It is the official government body responsible for intellectual property rights in the UK and is an executive agency of the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS).

Intellectual property rights (IPRs) have been acknowledged and protected in China since the 1980s. China has acceded to the major international conventions on protection of rights to intellectual property. Domestically, protection of intellectual property law has also been established by government legislation, administrative regulations, and decrees in the areas of trademark, copyright, and patent. This has led to the creation of a comprehensive legal framework to protect both local and foreign intellectual property. Despite this, copyright violations are common in the PRC. The American Chamber of Commerce in China surveyed over 500 of its members doing business in China regarding IPR for its 2016 China Business Climate Survey Report, and found that IPR enforcement is improving, but significant challenges still remain. The results show that the laws in place exceed their actual enforcement, with patent protection receiving the highest approval rate, while protection of trade secrets lags far behind. Many US companies have claimed that the Chinese government has stolen their intellectual property sometime in 2009–2019.

Land registration is any of various systems by which matters concerning ownership, possession, or other rights in land are formally recorded to provide evidence of title, facilitate transactions, and prevent unlawful disposal. The information recorded and the protection provided by land registration varies widely by jurisdiction.

The Office of the Controller General of Patents, Designs and Trade Marks(CGPDTM) generally known as the Indian Patent Office, is an agency under the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade which administers the Indian law of Patents, Designs and Trade Marks.

IP Federation

The IP Federation is a United Kingdom industry intellectual property trade association. It was founded in 1920 as an industry organization that provides input representing its members' interests in the United Kingdom and international intellectual property rule-making process. It celebrated its centenary on 23 April 2020.

Trademark Trade identifier of products or services

A trademark is a type of intellectual property consisting of a recognizable sign, design, or expression that identifies products or services from a particular source and distinguishes them from others. The trademark owner can be an individual, business organization, or any legal entity. A trademark may be located on a package, a label, a voucher, or on the product itself. Trademarks used to identify services are sometimes called service marks.

Private company limited by shares Type of business entity

A private company limited by shares is a class of private limited company incorporated under the laws of England and Wales, Northern Ireland, Scotland, certain Commonwealth countries, and the Republic of Ireland. It has shareholders with limited liability and its shares may not be offered to the general public, unlike those of a public limited company.

The North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA), known as the Oil and Gas Authority (OGA) until March 2022, is a private company limited by shares wholly owned by the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. It is responsible for maximising the economic recovery of oil from the North Sea. It is empowered to licence and regulate activity in relation to oil and gas in the United Kingdom, including oil and gas exploration, carbon capture and storage, and offshore gas storage.

Company register

A company register is a register of organizations in the jurisdiction they operate under.

Bogolo Kenewendo Botswana economist and politician

Bogolo Joy Kenewendo is a Botswana global economist and politician with deep expertise in international trade and development. She has a particular focus on Pan-African development and a passion for accelerating digitization and innovation across the continent. She is the former Cabinet Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry of Botswana. Kenewendo was dropped from cabinet in March 2020. Since then, she serves as the Managing Director of Kenewendo Advisory, based in Gaborone, Botswana.

Companies Registry (Hong Kong)

The Companies Registry is a government department under the Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau of the Government of Hong Kong. Its responsibilities include the registration of Hong Kong companies and non-Hong Kong companies under the Companies Ordinance, open-ended fund companies under the Securities and Futures Ordinance and limited partnership funds under the Limited Partnerships Funds Ordinance. It administers the licensing regime for trust and corporate service providers under the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorist Financing Ordinance as well as the licensing regime for money lenders under the Money Lenders Ordinance.

Botswana Unified Revenue Service (BURS) is the revenue service and a government parastatal of the Botswana government. BURS is responsible for collecting taxes and administering the BURS Act. The duties of the BURS include providing tax assistance to taxpayers and pursuing and resolving instances of erroneous or fraudulent tax filings.

References

  1. "CIPA – Protecting Business Interests" . Retrieved 19 October 2019.
  2. "Republic of Botswana - Government portal". www.gov.bw. Retrieved 19 October 2019.
  3. "Congratulations on OBRS CIPA …. But, please do not join the "System e down" cohort | Sunday Standard". www.sundaystandard.info. Retrieved 19 October 2019.