Uwa Ohiku is partner and head, intellectual property department of Jackson, Etti & Edu, with specialist experience in intellectual property law and practice, anti-counterfeiting and illicit trading. She was featured in the 2007-2008 edition of the International Who is Who of Professionals; the 2009 edition of Who is Who legal (Nigeria) and Presidential Who is Who 2009. She has also been nominated for inclusion in Global Directory of Who's Who 2009/2010.
A 1985 law graduate, she was called to the Nigerian Bar in 1986, graduating both years, as one of the institutions' best students. Her first exposure to intellectual property was in 1986 with the law firm of Bentley, Edu & Co. She attended the three-day Executive MBA for Lawyers by Falconbury Business Seminars, London (2007), and is an alumnus of the Lagos Business School (Pan African University, 2005) where she attended a course in Human Resources Management.
She is a member of the Nigerian Bar Association, INTA, ITMA, and IBA (IP & Entertainment Law Sections). She attended the 1st ever IBA Female Lawyers' Forum, London, March 2001. She was the only speaker from Africa at the 1st BRIC (Brazil/Russia/India/China) Conference on Intellectual Property, held in November 2008 in Gurgaon, New Delhi.
In 2001, Uwa was appointed a member of the WIPO (Geneva) Arbitration and Mediation Center's Domain Names Panel and remains the only Nigerian panellist. In November 2002, the US National Arbitration Forum appointed Uwa as one of a three-member international panel, to arbitrate on the domain name dispute involving the Cable News Network, LLP (CNN). She also served as sole panellist in other domain name disputes in 2003 and 2011 respectively. She was chairperson, panel on review of Nigerian Draft Trademarks Act (2002), Member on the INTA Anti-Counterfeiting Committee (2002-2004), INTA Bulletin Committee (2005-2007); INTA Legislation & Regulation Committee (2012-2013).
Recent Accomplishments:
- Member, Committee of Experts, appointed by the Federal Science & Technology Minister, April 2011, to review the Draft Science, Technology & Innovations Policy's compliance with Intellectual Property;
- In July 2011, Uwa was once again appointed by WIPO as part of a 3-man panel for another Domain Names Dispute (WIPO Case No. D2011-0921). The panel decision was submitted in August 2011.
- Featured in the October 2011 edition of the Lawyer Monthly Magazine. Her article was titled "Global Review of Intellectual Property – Nigeria"
- Recently quoted in an article for World Trademark Review, posted by Jeremy to Afro-IP on February 14, 2012 regarding a recent ruling in the Nigerian Federal Court of Appeal which upheld the principle that the mere existence of a design registration is not a justification for the use or infringement of a trademark belonging to a third party. "Alliance International Limited v Saam kolo Internarional Enterprises Ltd". According to Uwa, this ruling will serve to educate officials at the Nigerian Trade Marks and Designs Registries, who often allow parties which have no legal rights to a trade mark to file and register it as a 'design' with the intention of using it as a justification for infringing the trade marks of others.
