Speyside students win IP art competition

Angel Melville, from Speyside High School copped first place in the Tourism and Respect for IP (Intellectual Property) secondary school competition, with her piece, ‘Buy Originals Only,’ while her schoolmate, Shaquaner Williams placed second with her poster, ‘Piracy in the Caribbean Must Stop.”

The students’ original artwork will now be submitted to the World Intellectual Property Organisation.

The competition was hosted by the Building Respect for IP Division, and was a collaboration between the Division of Tourism and the Office of the Attorney General and Legal Affairs. The prize giving was hosted at the Division’s Head Office in Scarborough on April 17.

The competition challenged students to create a poster for display at an airport, resort or other tourism site, designed to discourage tourists from buying counterfeit or pirated goods.

Tourism Secretary Nadine Stewart-Phillips commended the AG’s Office for initiating the conversation on intellectual property in Tobago.

“The Division continues to work hard to preserve our artforms even as we seek to monetise our culture, so it is important for us to appreciate and understand the importance of safeguarding our intellectual property,” she said.

“The Division fully supports this initiative by the Trinidad and Tobago Intellectual Property Office as it also aligns with the organisation’s focus on cultivating an appreciation of tourism and culture among the island’s youth.

Controller of Intellectual Property, Regan Asgarali, expressed his enthusiasm for further partnerships with the Tobago House of Assembly. Acknowledging the students as brand ambassadors for the fight against piracy, he stated, “We hope to be back in Tobago in a prolonged and systemic manner in order to be able to go throughout the island and unearth more Intellectual Property.”