(Formerly:  GILBERT ISLANDS)

(WIPO code: KI) (last revised March 2024)

by PHILLIPS ORMONDE FITZPATRICK – Patent & Trade Mark Attorneys, Melbourne, Australia

General Information

Area

811 sq. km.

Population

115,372 (2023).

Capital

Bairiki, on theTarawa Atoll.

Languages

English (official), Kiribati.

Currency

Australian dollar (AUD); 1 dollar = 0.66 U.S. dollar (March 2024).

General Remarks

Kiribati was formerly the Gilbert Islands which, together with the Ellice Islands, formed a colony of the United Kingdom. The Ellice Islands, renamed Tuvalu, separated from the colony in 1975, and the two territories were separately administered as of January 1, 1976. Tuvalu became independent in 1978. The Gilbert Islands, renamed Kiribati, became independent in 1979. Kiribati has few natural resources and tourism provides only about one fifth of GDP, the remaining coming via aid, agriculture, fishing licenses and seafarer remittances. Kiribati is facing increasing risk from rising sea levels.

The Ministry of Tourism, Commerce, Industry and Cooperatives (MTCIC) has developed the National Intellectual Property Strategy (NIPS) to implement several measures from April 2017 to December 2023 with the aim to modernize the intellectual property system in Kiribati. Currently, the MTCIC has led to the revision of the Copyright Act 2018 and the enactment of the Trademark Act 2019.