Building Respect for IP Division

The Building Respect for IP Division aims to support informed and empirically well-founded policy discussions at the international level; to strengthen capacity in Member States for the effective enforcement of IP rights, in the interests of social and economic development and consumer protection; and to promote a culture of respect for IP rights through education and awareness raising.

The Division's activities are guided by Recommendation No. 45 of the WIPO Development Agenda: “to approach IP enforcement in the context of broader societal interests and especially development-oriented concerns, with a view that ‘the protection and enforcement of IP rights should contribute to the promotion of technological innovation and to the transfer and dissemination of technology, to the mutual advantage of producers and users of technological knowledge and in a manner conducive to social and economic welfare, and to a balance of rights and obligations’, in accordance with Article 7 of the TRIPS Agreement”.

Our activities include:

• Servicing the sessions of the WIPO Advisory Committee on Enforcement (ACE);
• Providing legal, strategic and technical assistance to Member States, upon request, on IP enforcement and on public awareness strategies directed to building respect for IP;
• Closely liaising with public and private partner organizations to ensure constructive, result-oriented international cooperation in line with WIPO's strategic approach to building respect for IP;
• Facilitating the exchange of information relating to IP enforcement; and
• Promoting respect for IP through targeted activities.