Image credit: Juliana Imam
Men and women are equally creative and innovative. Yet, women remain under-represented in many areas. And one woman who is changing the narrative in the Intellectual Property sector is Juliana Imam, an Intellectual Property & Entertainment Lawyer, based in Abuja. Intellectual property lawyers help creators, or owners of patents, trademarks or copyrighted works to benefit from their own work or investment in a creation.
Juliana Imam is an intellectual property and entertainment lawyer. She is the founder of www JIIPCC.com, stammerfoundation.com, Husbandandwife NG and the co-founder of nigeriancompany.com. Jiipcc.com provides IP registrations, (trademark, copyright, design rights), training, monetization and enforcement.
In this interview with Leading Ladies Africa, Juliana reveals the inspiration behind becoming an expert in the IP niche, how she has been able to carve a niche for herself in this sector and her plans to train more women about their IP rights. Lean in!
Juliana Imam, The Entrepreneur.
I am Juliana Owajimam Oboh Joseph, popularly known as Juliana Imam. I am the founder of Juliana Imam Intellectual Property and Creative Consult (JIIPCC.com), Stammer Foundation (stammerfoundation.com) and the co-founder of Nigeriancompany.com and Husbandandwifeng.
JIIPCC is an Abuja-based IP firm that helps creatives, innovators and SMEs protect, enforce and make profits from their intellectual properties through IP registration, monetization, training, advisory, mediation and litigation.
Your Inspiration.
My first passion in life was Music and then Law. However, in 2015, after being called to the Nigerian Bar, I found myself assigned to a record label as a jazz singer completely clueless about the documents I signed and the obligations of the parties to the contract.
Out of frustration, I studied Entertainment Law and Intellectual Property Law and this led me through the years to pursue a Masters degree in Entertainment and Sports Law and complete other courses in intellectual property and music business.
The discoveries I made during my study about IP was outstanding and I knew I couldn’t keep it to myself anymore. So, I decided to start lecturing creatives, innovators and SMEs on Trademark, Copyright, Patent, Industrial Design, Trade Secret, Music Business, Music Royalty and Publishing, on social media every Mondays and via physical meetings. These were what propelled me to establish Juliana Imam Intellectual Property and Creative Consult (JIIPCC).
Any Prior Business Foundation?
Not really. I was able to achieve success thanks to a lot of studying, trial and errors, mentorship, observations and collaborations.
The Intellectual Property Sector Is Unique. Tell Us More.
Indeed, the IP sector is unique and there are a few ladies in the space. Our goal as a firm is to train 10,000 women through in-house seminars and collaborative meetings on how to protect and profit from their intellectual properties.
Image credit: Juliana Imam
Success Markers?
So far, we have trained about 50 women on their IP rights and about six of them on the step-by-step process of registration.
Anything New Innovations To Share With Us?
We just launched 2 online courses –
i. How To Register Your Copyright By Yourself; and
ii. How To Distribute Your Songs And Spoken Words Worldwide By Yourself.
Several ladies who work in and own businesses are taking my online courses. That has been very gratifying for me and rewarding as well – to know that people are seeking out knowledge in this area.
Lessons and Highlights.
In my journey as an entrepreneur, I have discovered that people are interested in value exchange; however, not everyone is willing to make the requisite financial exchange for the amount of value received. Therefore, as a business, we learnt with time to put proper structures in place to quickly curtail brain pickers, value drainers and time wasters.
The highlight of my journey so far has been clarity and focus. This has put me in purposeful and intentional progress and has saved me from time-wasting activities, distractions and out-of-line offers.
Image credit: Juliana Imam
You’ll Attribute Your Success To…
Determination to succeed, focus, consistent study, supportive structure, mentorship, collaboration, an understanding husband and God’s mercy.
Any Challenges?
Yes.
Care to Share?
Family responsibilities, unspoken/unwritten moral codes that apply particularly to women.
And I have always focused on the end-user of my value transfer and the impact it will have on individuals and corporate organizations. Quitting has never been an option as I have decided to give my all to the intellectual property field and its related sectors.
Five Years Plan?
To be the number one firm dedicated to intellectual property in Nigeria.
Tips For Upcoming Entrepreneurs.
i. Be sure of the path you want to tread;
ii. Study hard;
iii. Ask questions about your field and connect with mentors;
iv. Leverage your circle and collaborate, and
v. (If you are a single lady), marry a man that’ll allow and support you to fulfil your dreams.
The Lady Boss Series is a weekly interview series that highlights the achievements and entrepreneurial journeys of African female entrepreneurs. The idea is to showcase the Leading Ladies who are transforming Africa and the African narrative through enterprise and business.
It is an off-shoot of Leading Ladies Africa, a non-profit that promotes leadership, inclusion and diversity for women of African descent.
If you know any kick-ass women of African Descent doing phenomenal things in enterprise, email lead@leadingladiesafrica.org, and she could possibly be featured.
