Future of Intellectual Property

The Future of Intellectual Property (IP) area addresses cutting-edge issues around the future development of IP, including in the context of emerging global challenges, and provides research, thought leadership, and policy advice on such matters.

Our activities include:

• Engage in horizon-scanning and foresight analysis, generate ideas, and coordinate internal cross-sectoral reflection on cutting-edge issues around the future development of IP to provide advice, leadership, and policy options, in particular, to spearhead WIPO's innovative contributions to emerging global challenges, major societal questions, and vanguard IP issues;
• House WIPO's internal knowledge base and act as a staff intelligence hub on those areas, identifying, pooling, and leveraging individual specializations and capacities, facilitating horizontal thinking, cross-fertilizing internal debate, and providing a forum to reflect on the future of innovation & creativity, of intellectual property and WIPO;
• Undertake anticipatory market research to identify opportunities for innovative WIPO products and services tailored to potential stakeholder and consumer demand, and support the incubation of ideas and their initial conceptual development as appropriate;
• Follow the work of WIPO bodies and provide internal feedback, opinion, and advice as required; and
• Identify other relevant think tank-related mechanisms, particularly those from other inter-governmental and similar organizations, and establish and strengthen collaboration with them.