WIPO Director General Francis Gurry said today that the international intellectual property (IP) community faces three major challenges in the coming years – management of demand of IP applications, the migration of all cultural content to the Internet, and enhancing the capacity of least developed and developing countries to use the IP system for encouraging innovation and creativity. Mr. Gurry said that deep engagement and commitment would be required to address these challenges successfully. Mr. Gurry also welcomed progress in WIPO’s normative agenda, attributing this to closer collaboration and understanding among WIPO’s member states.
WIPO released today an overview of intellectual property (IP) activity in 2009, the last year where full data are available. WIPO IP Facts and Figures 2011 covers patents, utility models, trademarks and industrial designs and serves as a quick reference guide for IP statistics gathered from 90 IP offices around the world. It shows that trademark protection – with over 3 million applications filed per year since 2005 – is the most sought-after form of IP globally. The China Trademark Office received a quarter of all trademark applications worldwide in 2009. Figures for industrial designs show significant growth rates, also owing to high filing activity in China.
An international conference hosted by WIPO on July 11-12 will address the role of innovation and technology in the development and diffusion of green technologies to provide solutions to the challenges posed by climate change. The Conference on Innovation and Climate Change, which brings together major stakeholders – international organizations, government, industry, and civil society – will focus on innovation partnerships between the public and private sector to develop and diffuse relevant technologies. WIPO Director General Francis Gurry and Mr. Luis Alfonso de Alba, Ambassador, Special Representative for Climate Change, Mexico, will open the Conference.
INSEAD, the leading international business school, today announced the findings of The Global Innovation Index (GII) 2011 edition. Switzerland topped this year's GII ranking, gaining three spots from its position in last year’s GII.
WIPO’s top copyright negotiating body will recommend to the September session of the General Assembly to resume a Diplomatic Conference on the Protection of Audiovisual Performances after agreement on the last outstanding issue relating to the transfer of rights. The convening of a diplomatic conference signals entry into the final phase of treaty negotiations, with the objective of concluding a treaty that would shore up the rights of performers in their audiovisual performances.
WIPO Director General Francis Gurry today announced a project to build a common digital platform which will help streamline the identification of protected musical works across 11 West African countries, helping creators from these countries get paid for their work through a simplified and standardized rights registration system. U.S. firm Google will be WIPO’s technology partner in developing this new web-based system, which builds upon WIPOCOS (WIPO Software for Collective Management of Copyright and Related Rights).
Construction work on a new conference hall for WIPO will begin later this summer following the signing this week of a contract with Swiss construction firm Implenia who has been selected by an international jury - composed of representatives of WIPO member states - to serve as general contractor. The conference hall is expected to be completed by mid-2013.
WIPO and the Paris-based International Council of Museums (ICOM) will collaborate in the management of intellectual property options, as well as the mediation of disputes in the area of cultural heritage and museums. This concerns in particular copyright, traditional knowledge and traditional cultural expressions, and digitization of cultural artifacts. A memorandum of understanding was signed by heads of both organizations at WIPO in Geneva on May 3, 2011.
This year’s World Intellectual Property Day on April 26 celebrates the role of design in the market-place, in society and in shaping the innovations of the future. Across the world, IP Offices, associations, businesses and technology institutions have announced –through the WIPO website or through the IP Day Facebook page - numerous activities to mark the day, including competitions, exhibitions and public discussions.
The two millionth international patent application under WIPO’s Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) was filed recently by U.S.-based mobile technology company Qualcomm.