Entering a New Era of IP Education and Training in Colombia

August 29, 2024

Mr. Sherif Saadallah, Executive Director of the WIPO Academy led a WIPO Academy delegation that met with several government authorities in Bogotá, Colombia from August 20 to 22, 2024 to bridge efforts in intellectual property (IP) education and skills-building across the country.

Bringing IP education beyond the capital

Mr. Saadallah signed an agreement with Mr. Herman de Jesús Gutiérrez Gutiérrez, Director General of the National Copyright Directorate of Colombia, on August 20, 2024, committing to a new chapter of cooperation in copyright and related rights training and capacity-building initiatives for authors, creators, artists and performers across industries.

ip-education-and-training-colombia-1 — Mr. Sherif Saadallah, Executive Director of the WIPO Academy (left), and Mr. Herman de Jesús Gutiérrez Gutiérrez Director General of the National Copyright Directorate of Colombia (right), at the signing ceremony on August 20, 2024 for an agreement between both organizations on future IP training and capacity-building initiatives (Image: National Copyright Directorate of Colombia)

The meeting was an opportunity to highlight the different projects and initiatives of the Training Center of the National Copyright Directorate, which is a WIPO IP Training Institution (IPTI), particularly those aimed at youth, such as the “Lira and Bongó” strategy which includes comics and educational guides, and a project for promoting the effective management and payment of copyright and related rights for local governments and creative industries beyond the capital.

Another meeting was held with Ms. Pilar Goyeneche, Deputy Superintendent for Industrial Property and other representatives of the Industrial Property Office (SIC), including the Industrial Property Classroom, a WIPO IPTI in Colombia, to discuss past and future initiatives aimed at decentralizing IP education. The efforts to decentralize IP education in Colombia encompass providing learning opportunities to local communities outside the capital, including entrepreneurs and indigenous communities.

The IPTI at SIC highlighted the importance of joint projects for micro, small and medium-sized enterprises implemented with the WIPO Academy, and the development of an online gamified course on IP and digital entrepreneurship for young audiences, titled “Think, Create, Undertake”. The WIPO Academy delegation was introduced to the IPTI’s “Marcas de Paz” strategy to assist victims of the armed internal conflict in the country reintegrate and generate sustainable livelihoods through businesses with protected trademarks. Plans for joint projects between the WIPO Academy and the IPTI at SIC to expand IP education to remote areas of the country, by piloting the WIPO Academy’s new IP EdTech Service, were also addressed.

WIPO Academy delegation meets with authorities from the Superintendence of Industry and Commerce of Colombia (SIC) and the IP Training Institution (IPTI). (From left to right) Ms. María Mercedes Diaz, Project Specialist of the Intellectual Property Training Institutions Program at the WIPO Academy; Ms. María Margarita Meneses, Contractor, Training Group; Ms. María Paula Ávila González, Advisor, International Affairs of the Superintendent’s Office; Ms. Laura Ovalle, Officer, Training Group; Ms. Carolina Tobar Zárate, Associate Program Officer at the World Intellectual Property Organization ; Mr. Sherif Saadallah, Executive Director of the WIPO Academy; Ms. Pilar María Goyeneche Carvajal, Deputy Superintendent for Industrial Property; Ms. María Juliana Pacheco, Advisor, Delegation for Industrial Property, Superintendence of Industry and Commerce; Ms. Diana Vivas, Advisor, Delegation for Industrial Property, Superintendence of Industry and Commerce, and Mr. Luis Antonio Silva Rubio, Coordinator of the Information Technology and Intellectual Property Management Support Center, Superintendence of Industry and Commerce

On August 21, 2024, the WIPO Academy delegation met with Mr. Salim Chalela Naffah, Director of Innovation and Business Development at the National Planning Department of Colombia, and his team, to discuss future collaboration on IP education initiatives addressing open science, intangible asset valuation, and human capital gaps in the IP system to ensure ample supply of workers with the necessary IP knowledge and skills in the job market.

Other meetings were held with two local universities concerning further support for IP higher education. The WIPO Academy met with Externado University of Colombia to plan for a potential WIPO Joint Master’s Program in IP, and an Executive Training Program on intangible asset valuation. Meetings were also held with El Bosque University, which is hosting a WIPO Summer School in Spanish in November.

Lastly, the WIPO Academy delegation met with the Diplomatic Academy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to explore the participation of Colombian diplomats and diplomats-in-training in the WIPO Academy’s new eLearning course on IP for Diplomats and Trade Officials.

Entering a New Era of IP Education and Training in Colombia

Bringing IP education beyond the capital

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