Meeting in extraordinary session, the WIPO General Assembly took a landmark decision today to convene a diplomatic conference in 2013 to complete negotiations on a pact to improve access to copyrighted works for the many visually impaired and people with print disabilities around the world. The General Assembly also expressed gratitude to Morocco for its offer to host the diplomatic conference.
A new WIPO report shows that while the global economy continued to underperform, intellectual property (IP) filings worldwide kept growing strongly in 2011. It also finds that China’s patent office became the largest in the world, as measured by the number of patent applications received. Before 2011, China already accounted for most filings of utility models (UMs), trademarks and industrial designs.
Mexico’s Secretary of Economy Bruno Ferrari deposited his country’s instrument of accession to the Madrid Protocol for the International Registration of Marks with WIPO Director General Francis Gurry on November 19, 2012, bringing the total number of members of the international trademark system to 89. The treaty will enter into force with respect to Mexico on February 19, 2013. The Madrid System for the International Registration of Marks (Madrid system) offers trademark owners a cost effective, user friendly and streamlined means of protecting and managing their trademark portfolio internationally.
One year after its launch, WIPO Re:Search has doubled its membership and resulted in ten research collaborations or agreements. WIPO Re:Search is a consortium where public and private sector organizations share valuable intellectual property (IP) and expertise with the global health research community to promote development of new drugs, vaccines, and diagnostics to treat neglected tropical diseases, malaria, and tuberculosis.
The 50th session of Assemblies of WIPO member states reached a breakthrough decision on how to complete negotiations on a pact to improve access to copyrighted works for the many visually impaired or print disabled people around the world.
The determining position of intellectual property (IP) as a driver of innovation and competitive advantage – as evidenced by the growing number of “patent wars” in courts around the world – underlines the need for a rules-based international system aligned with today’s economic and technological realities, WIPO Director General Francis Gurry said today.
The United Nations (UN) committee charged with overseeing implementation of Security Council resolutions relating to the Islamic Republic of Iran has confirmed that WIPO technical assistance to the Islamic Republic of Iran does not violate United Nations resolutions.
The United Nations (UN) committee charged with overseeing implementation of Security Council resolutions relating to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) has confirmed that WIPO technical assistance to DPRK does not violate United Nations resolutions.
Research to develop treatments for neglected tropical diseases received a boost this month as AstraZeneca concluded agreements through WIPO Re:Search with iThemba Pharmaceuticals (South Africa), the University of California, San Francisco (U.S), and the University of Dundee (UK).
Further to the press statement of July 19, 2012, WIPO Director General Francis Gurry has provided the following update on the actions being undertaken by the Organization in response to the concerns expressed by certain member states in relation to some of WIPO’s technical assistance programs.