THE Patents and Companies Registration Agency (PACRA) says it has recorded an increase in the number of trademark applications from slightly over 2,000 annually to close to 5,000 this year alone. In an interview, Monday, PACRA Deputy Registrar for Intellectual Property Chewe Chilufya attributed the increase to the newly operationalised Trademarks Act, which has expanded the scope of trademark protection. “Late last year, the government operationalised a new Trademarks Act which has expanded the scope of protection for trademarks. So, they now no longer just cover goods, they also cover services. As a result of that, we have seen over 4,500 trademark applications so far. In fact, we are heading towards 5,000 of them, and this is a huge jump...