WIPO PROOF Obtains Important Certifications to International Standards

Geneva, December 15, 2020
PR/2020/872

The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) today announced that its newest digital business service, WIPO PROOF, has received important “trust service provider” certifications from two international organizations that set global technical standards for their domains.

Following a voluntary audit, WIPO PROOF was found to have met the relevant policy, security and technical standards established by both ETSI, one of the European Union’s (EU) officially recognized standards-setting bodies, and the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), an independent, non-governmental international organization with a membership of 165 national standard-setting bodies

WIPO PROOF, launched in May of this year, is an easy-to-use global, online service that rapidly generates tamper-proof evidence proving that a digital file existed at a specific point in time, and that it has not been altered since that time. The service creates a WIPO PROOF token, a date- and time-stamped digital fingerprint of the file or data, which can be used as evidence in a legal dispute.

WIPO PROOF was independently certified by external, accredited conformity assessment bodies as meeting the standards established under the EU Regulation called eIDAS, (Electronic IDentification, Authentication and Trust Services) and the ISO standards for information security management.

Both certifications are industry-leading gold standards, recognized by market participants world-wide, said WIPO Assistant Director General Yo Takagi. The work of the EU regarding eIDAS, and that of the ISO, represents the kind of international collaboration that WIPO itself promotes to facilitate the efficient production and cross-border trade in goods and services required by the global economy, he said.

"WIPO PROOF is rapidly growing into an indispensable product for innovators and creators as they take their ideas from inspiration to marketplace. In receiving these certifications, WIPO demonstrates that its operations comply with industry best practices, while also showing support for the kind of practical multilateral activity that has been a bedrock of WIPO's inter-governmental activities for decades," said Mr. Takagi.

The European Commission’s eIDAS Regulation enables the use of electronic identification means and trust services (i.e. electronic signatures, electronic seals, time stamping, registered electronic delivery and website authentication) when accessing on-line services, assuring that these services comply to a common set of standards.  eIDAS is considered one of the most comprehensive regulations and stringent standards in the world for trust service providers.

The ISO/IEC 27001 standard defines the globally accepted requirements for a comprehensive information security management system.

By achieving both certifications, WIPO PROOF services are recognized as complying with all EU regulations regarding trust service providers issuing advanced electronic timestamps and establishes that WIPO PROOF meets the global standards for securing and protecting the customer information it receives.

For more information on WIPO as a globally recognized digital trust service provider, visit WIPO PROOF’s “Globally Trusted” page where all related certificates are published.

WIPO PROOF’s timestamping policy and practice statement is also available here.

About WIPO PROOF

WIPO PROOF is an easy-to-use global, online service that rapidly generates tamper-proof evidence, in the form of WIPO PROOF tokens, proving that a digital file existed at a specific point in time.

WIPO PROOF tokens can be purchased one at a time for a modest fee, or in bundles of multiple tokens at reduced rates valid during a two year period.

WIPO PROOF tokens can be used to establish prior existence, helping prevent misuse and misappropriation, and can be useful in safeguarding intellectual assets at every stage of development from concept to commercialization, whether or not they eventually become formal IP rights. WIPO PROOF complements WIPO's existing IP systems, providing another tool for the strategic global management of intellectual assets.

WIPO PROOF's many applications include the following: for trade secret strategies, using WIPO PROOF to certify the existence of a file or data at a specific point in time is a type of concrete action that underscores its value and demonstrates that steps were taken to safeguard it. For creative works, the ability to prove their existence at the time of creation is fundamental to safeguarding them from potential misappropriation or infringement.

WIPO PROOF is also useful in managing valuable data sets such as scientific research data or data for training AI models, because the existence and possession of each iteration of a data set can be formally recorded in a matter of seconds.

For more information and details on WIPO PROOF: https://wipoproof.wipo.int/

Notes to editors

About ETSI

ETSI, the European Telecommunications Standards Institute, is a European Standards Organization (ESO). [It is] the recognized regional standards body dealing with telecommunications, broadcasting and other electronic communications networks and services. [It has] a special role in Europe. This includes supporting European regulations and legislation through the creation of Harmonized European Standards. Only standards developed by the three ESOs (CEN, CENELEC and ETSI) are recognized as European Standards (ENs).

About ISO

ISO, the International Standards Organization, is an independent, non-governmental international organization with a membership of 165 national standards bodies.  The ISO develops international standards covering almost all aspects of technology and manufacturing

The ISO’s standard 27001 is most frequently referred to as the ISO/IEC 27001.  The standard was jointly developed by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC)