• Overdue Oct 20, 2021

    Call for applications - Free Intellectual Property Advisory Services for Tech Start-Ups

    Employer: CM Advocates
    CM ADVOCATES aspires to be the premier legal and business advisory firm in Rwanda and within the East Africa Community (EAC), by providing our customers with a one-stop shop for their legal and business advisory needs and a world-class customer experience. We have associate offices in Nairobi, Mombasa (Kenya),... See more
    Posted: 5 October 2021
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    Introduction

    Rwanda has a rising number of innovators proposing solutions for multiple challenges. It is worth noting that most innovators make no considerable progress in securing their IP, especially due to lack of knowledge and technical know-how. Competitors can essentially steal or piggyback on the innovators’ success to take away their market share.

    Many tech start-ups do not realize that their IP assets are integral to their long-term viability and success. Intellectual Property (IP) Protection is fundamental for innovation to thrive as it rewards your creativity and can generate tangible benefits to your business.

    Small tech start-ups mistakenly believe that exploiting their IP is time consuming, expensive, and difficult to see a return on investment. To the contrary, any company irrespective of its size or the nature of its business should consider the importance of its IP assets.

    These following facts remain unknown to or neglected by innovators:

    • • Start-ups can use their IP as collateral to obtain financing for their business;
    • • Companies generate revenues from their IP through licensing;
    • • Companies that rely on IP generally succeed better than those that do not;
    • • IP protection enables start-ups to have a competitive advantage on the market;

    As such, CM Advocates Rwanda*, a premier full-service corporate legal and business advisory firm operating in Rwanda and the East African region, would like to call for applications for qualifying tech start-ups that are interested in being assisted with their IP and licensing needs to apply for this program. CM Advocates Rwanda will guide and advise a minimum of fifteen tech start-ups/SMEs that will be selected with the aim of addressing their IP and/or licensing challenges.

    The services to be rendered to the start-ups include:

    • 1. Advisory on matters relating to trademark protection;
    • 2. Advisory on matters relating to patents and utility models;
    • 3. Trade Secrets management;
    • 4. Licenses (shared or otherwise);
    • 5. Advisory on matters relating Industrial designs
    • 6. Copyrights and related rights (acquisition, scope, maintenance and use of the rights)

    Why Register?

    • • You will get guidance on protection of your creations and inventions;
    • • You will understand how your inventions and creations can be used to generate revenue;
    • • You will learn how you can fight against infringement on your creations;
    • • You will learn how you can turn creations of your mind into a tangible asset capable of assignment and licensing.

    How Do I Apply?

    Interested tech start-ups should submit their application documents to law@cmadvocates.rw with the email subject “Intellectual Property and Licensing”.
    All submissions should be made not later than Wednesday, 20 October 2021.

    They are required to submit the following application documents in soft copy as submission in hard is not allowed:

    Please feel free to contact us on +250 788 309 414 for any further clarification.

    *About CM Advocates Rwanda

    CM Advocates Rwanda is a premier full-service corporate legal and business advisory firm operating in Rwanda and the East African region. The firm handles intellectual property consulting and advisory services and is offering bespoke intellectual property and licensing services to tech start-ups and SMEs based in Rwanda

    This project is supported by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ_ GmbH-Rwanda through its Digital Transformation Center in Kigali.

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