SARAWAK has taken a major step in protecting its tourism assets by securing copyright for 12 of its flagship events through a collaboration between the Ministry of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts and the Sarawak Multimedia Authority (SMA).
Tourism Minister, Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah, said the copyrighted events were for the Rainforest World Music Festival, Borneo Jazz Festival, Sarawak International Dragon Boat Race, Borneo Cultural Festival, Sarawak Regatta-Kuching Waterfront Festival, Benak Festival, Nukenen Festival, Kaul Mukah Festival, Borneo International Kite Festival, Kuching Marathon, Miri Marathon, and Tasik Biru Festival.
“The next step is to secure trademarks for merchandise derived from these events to further strengthen their identity and commercial potential,” he said in his ministerial winding-up speech in the Sarawak Legislative Assembly (DUN) sitting today.
In addition, the ministry has also obtained copyright protection for key tourism branding elements, including the logos for Gateway to Borneo Sarawak, Sarawak – More to Discover, and the Rainforest Youth Summit (RAYS).
Abdul Karim stressed the robust intellectual property (IP) protection is vital to foster an ecosystem that nurtures creativity, innovation and economic growth.
“IP rights are key to preserving our cultural heritage and traditional knowledge while building a strong, recognisable tourism brand for Sarawak,” he said.
He also highlighted the importance of geographical indications (GI) as a form of IP that not only safeguards local cultural identity and heritage but also enhances tourism by promoting the unique characteristics of products linked to specific regions.
