Kenya Country Commercial Guide
Learn about the market conditions, opportunities, regulations, and business conditions in kenya, prepared by at U.S. Embassies worldwide by Commerce Department, State Department and other U.S. agencies’ professionals
Select Country Guide
Protecting Intellectual Property
Last published date:

Kenya is a member of the World Intellectual Property Organization and the World Trade Organization. Kenya is a signatory to the TRIPS Agreement and several other major international and regional intellectual property conventions as noted below. Kenya also is a member of the African Regional Industrial Property Organization (ARIPO) based in Harare, Zimbabwe and is empowered by the Harare protocol on patents and industrial designs.  The Protocol grants patents and registers utility models and industrial designs on behalf of contracting states.

However, enforcement of IPR continues to pose a challenge to rights holders. Pirated and counterfeit products in Kenya present a major impediment to U.S. businesses operating in the country. Industry estimates that piracy and counterfeiting of business software, music, consumer goods, and electronics such as mobile phones, and pharmaceuticals in Kenya cost firms over $300 million in lost sales annually.

The Government of Kenya’s Intellectual Property Bill of 2020 sought to tighten policy control around IP enforcement. The bill merged the three IP related agencies, namely, the Kenya Copyright Board (KECOBO), Kenya Intellectual Property Institute (KIPI) and the Anti-Counterfeiting Agency (ACA) and established a single Intellectual Property Office of Kenya (IPOK).

To access the [country name] Investment Climate Statement, which includes information on the protection and enforcement of intellectual property rights, visit the U.S. Department of State Investment Climate Statement website.

In any foreign market companies should consider several general principles for effective protection of their intellectual property. For background, please see Protecting Intellectual Property and Stopfakes.gov for more resources. For more information, contact ITA’s Office of Intellectual Property Rights Director, Stevan Mitchell at Stevan.Mitchell@trade.gov.

×

Global Business Navigator Chatbot Beta

Welcome to the Global Business Navigator, an artificial intelligence (AI) Chatbot from the International Trade Administration (ITA). This tool, currently in beta version testing, is designed to provide general information on the exporting process and the resources available to assist new and experienced U.S. exporters. The Chatbot, developed using Microsoft’s Azure AI services, is trained on ITA’s export-related content and aims to quickly get users the information they need. The Chatbot is intended to make the benefits of exporting more accessible by understanding non-expert language, idiomatic expressions, and foreign languages.

Limitations

As a beta product, the Chatbot is currently being tested and its responses may occasionally produce inaccurate or incomplete information. The Chatbot is trained to decline out of scope or inappropriate requests. The Chatbot’s knowledge is limited to the public information on the Export Solutions web pages of Trade.gov, which covers a wide range of topics on exporting. While it cannot provide responses specific to a company’s product or a specific foreign market, its reference pages will guide you to other relevant government resources and market research. Always double-check the Chatbot’s responses using the provided references or by visiting the Export Solutions web pages on Trade.gov. Do not use its responses as legal or professional advice. Inaccurate advice from the Chatbot would not be a defense to violating any export rules or regulations.

Privacy

The Chatbot does not collect information about users and does not use the contents of users’ chat history to learn new information. All feedback is anonymous. Please do not enter personally identifiable information (PII), sensitive, or proprietary information into the Chatbot. Your conversations will not be connected to other interactions or accounts with ITA. Conversations with the Chatbot may be reviewed to help ITA improve the tool and address harmful, illegal, or otherwise inappropriate questions.

Translation

The Chatbot supports a wide range of languages. Because the Chatbot is trained in English and responses are translated, you should verify the translation. For example, the Chatbot may have difficulty with acronyms, abbreviations, and nuances in a language other than English.

Privacy Program | Information Quality Guidelines | Accessibility