Brief History of WIPO Paris Union 1883 Berne Union 1886 International Bureau combined 1893 WIPO Convention 1967 UN Specialized Agency Member States (as of January, 2008)
24 international treaties 184 member States 915 staff from 94 countries Dr. Kamil Idris, Director General
WIPO The Director General’s vision to demystify IPR and make it more accessible and relevant to a broader group of people IP not merely a legal instrument but has a role to play in society and is a tool for economic growth A means to an end, and not an end in itself.
WIPO’s Mission Statement To promote through international cooperation the creation, dissemination, use and protection of works of the human spirit for the economic, cultural and social progress of all mankind.
Main Activities 1. Norm setting - Preparing for new treaties and developing and administering treaties that are in force 2. Registration services and arbitration and mediation services 3. Intellectual property for development
1. Norm Setting Setting international legal norms in the field of IP –IP Protection- internationally agreed basic standards of protection (Paris, Berne) –Registration- one application to have effect in many (PCT, Madrid, Hague) –Classification-organize information concerning inventions, trademarks and industrial designs into indexed, manageable structures for easy retrieval(Locarno, Nice)
2. Registration Activities PCT 139, Madrid System 82 and Hague 48 member states) Facilitates the obtention of rights in several countries with the filing of a single application Steady growth of PCT since its inception (recd 1mth application) and recently with the accession of USA and EU to Madrid heavy increase in filings there as well
The Patent Cooperation Treaty
3. IP for Development Legal Framework IP administration Enforcement and IP education National IP strategies - IP cross cutting Users - creators, inventors and innovators, businesses, public research institutions identify, protect, exploit and manage their IP assets more effectively.
WIPO’s Income
SMEs, creators and users of IP Economic development SME Support Institutions Studies Website E-newsletter Guides IP Panorama Events Website E-newsletter Guides IP Panorama Events
Project on IP for SMEs Identify barriers, issues, challenges and opportunities of SMEs. Develop materials based on “IP for Business” series and “ IP PANORAMA”, Undertake business-oriented IP education and training in teaching and training institutions that support SMEs Prioritize delivery of training - knowledge-intensive, high tech, export-oriented sectors, especially those which are already part of global supply or value chains/networks, or with SMEs that are in geographic clusters, or those linked to research institutes, universities, or housed in incubators and science parks As far as possible in implementing activities explore and develop synergies and partnerships with similar projects, draw lessons from the experience of other countries and use case studies.