The legal structure and regulatory environments 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 2022 listings here).

The Liberia Intellectual Property Office (LIPO), which operates under Ministry of Commerce & Industry (MOCI), lacks both technical and financial capacity to address IPR infringements, nor is there 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, adelyn.cooper@l-ipo.org

Theresa S. Thomas, Deputy Director General

+231-770-329-024, theresa.thomas@l-ipo.org

In any foreign market, companies should consider several general principles for effective protection of their intellectual property. For background, link to our article on Protecting Intellectual Property and Stopfakes.gov for more resources.” · List the IP Attaché or IPR Contact for your specific country. Check the IP Attaché Program | USPTO to find your country-specific Attaché and their contact details.

For more information, contact ITA’s Office of Standards and Intellectual Property Rights (OSIP) Director, Stevan Mitchell at Stevan.Mitchell@trade.gov.

To access the Liberia Investment Climate Statement, which includes information on the protection and enforcement of intellectual property rights, visit the U.S. Department of State Investment Climate Statement website.