Business updates

Mauritian businesses had the opportunity to engage directly with Mr Daren Tang, Director General of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), at a round table hosted by the Mauritius Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI). The discussion centred on the strategic role of intellectual property in driving innovation, competitiveness and business growth, as Mauritius works to accelerate its shift toward a more knowledge- and technology-driven economy.

Topics covered included patents and industrial designs, the use of IP and technology to support business development, and the valuation and financing of intangible assets. Trademarks and geographical indications also featured prominently, discussed as tools for differentiation, value creation and access to international markets, though participants noted that many Mauritian businesses, particularly SMEs and start-ups, still face challenges in fully integrating IP into their strategies, valuing their innovations and protecting their rights on regional and international markets.

Speaking at the event, MCCI President Patrice Marie underlined the growing importance of IP to the country's economic strategy: "Mauritius' future competitiveness will increasingly depend on our ability to innovate, adopt new technologies, and protect and valorise the intellectual assets created by our businesses and entrepreneurs. Intellectual property must be seen as a genuine lever for growth, investment and access to international markets."

Discussions also touched on the growing role of new technologies, including artificial intelligence, in creating, protecting and valorising IP assets, as well as the challenges of trademark protection, counterfeiting and enforcement, underscoring the need, for a small economy like Mauritius, for a robust and balanced framework that protects trademark holders while preserving competition and consumer interests.

Geographical indications were also discussed at length, with products such as Mauritian sugar and rum, and the Limon de Rodrigues, cited as examples of the potential of this tool to strengthen the identity and positioning of local products and support their development in export markets.

The round table helped identify ways to strengthen Mauritius' local IP ecosystem, including better support for businesses, tools for valuing and financing intangible assets, and capacity building. The MCCI hopes to see Mauritius deepen its collaboration with WIPO on this basis, turning intellectual property into a concrete lever for competitiveness, diversification and value creation for the Mauritian economy.

Caption

From Left to Right: Mr. Denis Claude Pilot, Vice-President of the MCCI, Mr. Daren Tang, Director General of WIPO, Mr. Patrice Marie, President of the MCCI and Dr. Drishtysingh Ramdenee, Secretary General of the MCCI.