The Jamaica Intellectual Property Office has just released a Draft of its new Fee Schedule which should come into effect on or before December 1, 2022. Spoiler alert: the price increases are substantial, but the new fees are still within International norms. For example, the JIPO fee to file a new trade mark application has increased from J$7,800 for the first class to J$13,700 and the publication fee (due on acceptance of the application, usually about six months after filing) has increased from J$10,000 to J$13,700. The fee for eachSEE DETAILS

Returning residents, young urban professionals, and REITs have created a seemingly insatiable demand for housing options across Jamaica. There has been a steady and gradual growth in areas like Kingston and other metropolitan areas in Jamaica namely, Portmore, Montego Bay, Spanish Town, and even Drax Hall / Priory in St. Ann. Currently, about 56.65 percent of Jamaica’s population lives in urban areas. The completion of highways to Mandeville and St. Thomas means that these areas are ripe for continued development as well. This fiercely competitive climate for real estate hasSEE DETAILS <span class="more-link...

Ownership of master sound recordings has been a hotly contested issue in Jamaica throughout the history of Jamaican music. The Copyright Act of Jamaica seemingly addresses the issue head on: section 22(1) states that the author of a work is the owner of the copyright in that work unless there is an agreement to the contrary, and defines the author of a sound recording as “the person by whom the arrangements necessary for the making of the recording or film are undertaken.” Local industry custom and practice has adopted aSEE DETAILS

Companies and brands are increasingly seeing the value in engaging social media personalities and content creators to help promote their products and services, even on a small scale. If you have even tens of thousands of engaged followers, you may be an attractive candidate for an influencer deal. But while you have built your social media account through a certain kind of content and interaction with your followers – what companies and brands want and demand from you can lead to disputes or disappointment if communication is not clear orSEE DETAILS