Artists and creative practitioners met at the National Gallery of the Cayman Islands (NGCI) Monday, 17 July 2017 to discuss Intellectual Property (IP) with Trade Mark Examiner, Candace Westby from the Cayman Islands Intellectual Property Office (CIIPO). The event was held as part of the National Gallery’s, The Business of Art initiative, which began with a symposium in May 2017 and has now evolved into an ongoing programme of discussions and presentations for artists and creative practitioners to explore how to build a sustainable business around their talent.

CIIPO Trade Mark Examiner, Candace Westby provided information on various aspects of IP, from trade marks and design rights to copyright protection and infringement. The workshop helped participants understand how to use intellectual property to protect their creative practice. NGCI Public Engagement Manager, Kaitlyn Elphinstone comments, “The presentation illustrated the way in which the modernized IP law now offers the expected and necessary level of protection and security to artists, ensuring that their works will be safeguarded. The event certainly increased the confidence of our artists and we look forward to hosting more events as part of The Business of Art initiative.”

Intellectual property resources for artists have been posted to the National Gallery’s website, www.nationalgallery.org.ky. For more information on IP in Cayman, visit www.ciipo.gov.ky.

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Photo Caption: CIIPO Trade Mark Examiner, Candace Westby presents IP at NGCI

Candace Westby – Trade Marks Examiner, CIIPO

Ms Westby is the Patents and Trade Marks Examiner for the CIIPO (Cayman Islands Intellectual Property Office) which is a unit under the General Registry. Ms Westby is accountable for examining and approving IP rights applications. She is also responsible for the management of a team with the mandate of establishing policies and guidelines in relation to the practice of IP in the Cayman Islands.

Prior to joining CIIPO, Ms Westby served as Crown Counsel and Deputy Registrar of Intellectual Property for the Belize Intellectual Property Office (BELIPO). While she was there, she examined thousands of trade mark applications, issued hundreds of patent examination letters, and managed the BELIPO office and staff. She also represented the Government of Belize at the General Assemblies of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) in Switzerland, and was elected Vice-Chair of the WIPO Hague Union Assembly for the 2013-2014 biennium.

Ms Westby has a Bachelor of Laws from the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus, Barbados; and a Legal Education Certificate from the Norman Manley Law School in Kingston, Jamaica. She is a qualified attorney-at-law and was called to the Bar in Belize in 2013.

PUBLIC INFORMATION:

About the National Gallery of the Cayman Islands

Established in 1996, the National Gallery of the Cayman Islands (NGCI) is the country’s leading visual arts museum and education centre, charged with promoting and encouraging the appreciation and practice of the visual arts in the Cayman Islands. This mission is achieved through exhibitions, education/outreach programmes, school tours, community festivals, and ongoing research projects. Holding up to six exhibitions annually at our central exhibition space, and satellite venues around Grand Cayman and the Sister Islands, the curatorial team strives to create a balance between exhibitions of quality Caymanian artwork with art from further afield. This is achieved by working with a broad cross-section of artists and ranging from site-specific work to more traditional gallery-based projects.

NGCI is at the forefront of visual arts education in the Cayman Islands hosting 25+ education and outreach programmes monthly, across all three islands. These programmes aim to capture every age group in our community from the youngest pre-schoolers to senior citizens, in addition to marginalized members of our community. They combine arts education with enriching creative experiences which foster creativity, help build self-esteem, and provide effective and invaluable explorations of culture, cultural heritage, national identity and community values.

NGCI Site & Facility

The new National Gallery building is a 9,000 sq. ft. facility situated on the western side of the Esterley Tibbetts Bypass, close to Camana Bay town centre and adjacent to the Harquail Theatre. The new development is home to two temporary exhibition areas, an art studio, library, auditorium, sculpture garden, Art Café and Gift Shop, and a permanent gallery for the Cayman Islands National Art Collection.

As part of the National Gallery’s long-term business plan, an auditorium and multi-purpose event space have been incorporated into the design providing flexible venue options for conferences.