The Maasai is partnering with select brands
Taking control of the Maasai brand
Research shows that over 1,000 companies use the Maasai brand name and image without a license.
The trademark allows companies to formally work with the Maasai, licensing their Intellectual Property.
Learn more about becoming a licensee of the Maasai Certification Stamp →
1.2 million Maasai people reached
Chief Issac Ole Tialolo spreading the word on Maa radio
Partner with the Maasai to support local initiatives and education programmes
Maasai Intellectual Property Initiative Trust (MIPI) is a credible, trans-border representative legal structure designed to assert the rights of the Maasai internationally. As a Maasai representative entity, the members have made the following priorities for income:
Maasai child education
Advancing Maasai women’s capacity in building handicraft businesses and other businesses (Maasai Mamas)
Advancing Maasai knowledge of the value of IP and capabilities to acquire further income gains in IP-related business
Natural resource management: Adapting to climate change
Food security
FAQs
Who are the Maasai?
The Maasai are a Nilotic, tribal people of approximately 3 million who live across northern, central and southern Kenya and northern Tanzania. They are regarded as the most recognizable amongst African tribes, known for their courage, strength and community. The Maasai rely on cattle as a measure of richness, thus the diminishing of their grazing lands by national parks and changes in land ownership have decreased their livelihoods. They are by historical background, pastoralist, polygamous, and loyal to their traditional culture of male dominance. They speak Maa (traditional Maasai), Swahili and English.
How would a brand make use of the Maasai IP?
The Maasai do not currently receive any revenue from the 1,000+ global companies and brands using their name and image to add value to those companies. Here lies the income-generating opportunity for the Maasai, under normal practices of intellectual property. Companies now have the opportunity to apply for and to gain the Maasai certification and licensing arrangements, similar to the established norms of companies whose brands and names are their most lucrative asset.
Where will the money derived from the license fee go?
The Maasai IP Initiative (MIPI) commits to assist the Maasai tribe comprised of approximately 3 million indigenous people of Kenya and Tanzania. Any incoming revenue has been agreed to be used in community projects, examples include clean water and sanitation, schools and curriculum, and projects beneficial to the Maasai women (see above).
Maasai in the Press
Brand Maasai: Why nomads might trademark their name
Warrior tribe enlists lawyers in battle for Maasai ‘brand’
The Maasai want their brand back
Can a Tribe Sue for Copyright? The Maasai Want Royalties for Use of Their Name