The legal structure and regulatory environment as well as the process of protecting and enforcing IPR in Liberia is weak, and the level of IPR law enforcement is poor even though Liberia is not listed in the USTR’s Special 301 Report, nor is it listed as a notorious market report (see the 2020 listings here).
The Liberia Intellectual Property Office (LIPO), which operates under MOCI, lacks both technical and financial capacity to address IPR infringements, nor is it supported strong governmental will to do so. It does not have a system to track and report on seizures of counterfeit goods or to prosecute IPR violations. Furthermore, many Liberians are not familiar with IPR issues and do not understand what constitutes an IPR infringement. Infringement of IPR and industrial property rights is prevalent, including unauthorized duplication of movies, music, and books. Vendors sell counterfeit drugs, apparel, cosmetics, mobile phones, computer software, and hardware openly.
IPR contacts in Liberia include:
- Liberia Intellectual Property Office (LIPO)
P. Adelyn Cooper, Director General
+231-775-533-595, ulie.cooper@l-ipo.org
- Fanta Conde Barclay, Deputy for Copyrights
+231-886551574, fantaipr@gmail.com
- Theresa S. Thomas, Deputy Director General
+231-770-329-024, uliea.thomas@l-ipo.org
Further details on the protection of intellectual property rights in Liberia can be found in the 2022 Liberia Investment Climate Statement.