Kenyan activists are fighting to retain cultural designs that have been developed in East Africa but are being patented by companies in rich countries. After losing the kiondo basket trademark to Japan, the popular kikoi fabric design is currently at risk of being patented by a British company.
Cooperation for Fair Trade in Africa (COFTA), a Nairobi-based body of nongovernmental organisations, is taking on the Kikoy Company UK which has applied for registration as the sole trademark owner of kikoi.
Kikoi is a colourful cotton fabric historically worn by men and women along the East African coast. It is also used for making bags, hats and household items including curtains, rugs and bed covers. It has also proved popular in western countries.
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On 29 August 2006, the Kikoy Company UK filed an application with the UK patent office to register kikoi as its trademark. If it is granted, the firm will enjoy a monopoly over the marketing of kikoi products, meaning that it will be the entity that decides on the production, sale and export of kikoi items.
The European Union (EU) is the largest buyer of kikoi products. They are exported to Germany, UK, Italy, France, Spain and the Netherlands, according to COFTA which is campaigning for the elimination of poverty through fair trade. Trade in apparel for the lucrative EU market has been expanding over the past eight years.
Granting the trademark to the UK firm would mean that Kenyans have to request permission from the UK firm to market kikoi items despite it being a traditional cloth in Kenya and the rest of the region.
This will result in losses in income and jobs given that hundreds of people in the region, particularly Kenya, sell kikoi items to earn a living. The arts and crafts sector plays a significant role in the tourism industry, Kenya's second highest foreign exchange earner after agriculture, and the informal sector contributes around 18 percent of the country's gross domestic product.
This is, obviously, a fucking travesty, and an example of the ways in which US, UK, and other wealthy nations continue to economically oppress developing countries. UK folks, what do you think? Is this likely to go through? |
