Efforts to strengthen intellectual property laws are underway, with several engagements already held under the Orange Economy Initiative, according to Minister of Tourism, Industry and Commerce Susan Rodrigues.
Speaking at a business engagement at the Marriott Hotel, Kingston, on Tuesday, Rodrigues said creatives have the potential to become greater contributors to the economy, and that ensuring they are fairly compensated for their work is critical.
But it goes beyond creatives. She said heritage sites are also being considered in these discussions.
“We have a committee that is dealing with that…the requisite laws to check our intellectual property and to ensure that our people are properly compensated and protected for their creativity and all the other sectors, literary, visual arts, music, dance, heritage sites,” the minister said.
She said the Government is looking to international examples of successful creative economies as it works to establish a stronger foundation for its own orange economy.
The 2026 National Budget provides funds to support these engagements and ensures that creatives can purposefully benefit from the consultations, she added.
“We have started this process but we don’t want to do it in isolation, change one law today, change one law next year to address this issue, we see the creative sector as a valuable contributor to our economy. We think the time is right now to invest in creative Guyanese and we want to ensure that we have a full structure to protect their rights and encourage investment,” the minister said.
Rodrigues said the Government intends to take a comprehensive approach, rather than making legislative changes in stages without an overarching framework.
The goal, she said, is to establish the structures necessary to allow creative Guyanese to benefit from their talents, while creating opportunities for the sector to generate greater economic activity.
Source: NEW ROOMS SITE
