The Assemblies of the member states of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) concluded on Wednesday, October 3, 2007, following a review of activities over the past year and discussions on the Organization’s future work program. The WIPO Assemblies bring together the 184 member states of the Organization. The WIPO General Assembly was chaired by Ambassador Martin I. Uhomoibhi, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Nigeria to the United Nations in Geneva.
A cooperation plan between the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and the Mexican Institute of Industrial Property (IMPI) was signed on October 2 with a view to promoting the exchange and use of patent information for business development, especially among small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). This took place on the sidelines of the annual meetings of WIPO Assemblies from September 24 to October 3, 2007.
Member states of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) have agreed to continue accelerated work on intellectual property (IP) and traditional knowledge, genetic resources and folklore/traditional cultural expressions (TCEs), with a focus on the international dimension. The General Assembly extended the mandate of the Intergovernmental Committee on Intellectual Property and Genetic Resources, Traditional Knowledge and Folklore (IGC) for two years. While recognizing the solid work done to date, they have pledged to work towards greater convergence on the issues.
The Director General of the World Intellectual Property Organization, Dr. Kamil Idris, welcomed a decision by WIPO member states on Friday, September 28, 2007 to adopt a Development Agenda consisting of a series of recommendations to enhance the development dimension of the Organization’s activities. The recommendations include a set of 45 agreed proposals covering six clusters of activities including Technical Assistance and Capacity Building; Norm-setting, Flexibilities, Public Policy and Public Knowledge; Technology Transfer, Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and Access to Knowledge; Assessments, Evaluation and Impact Studies; Institutional Matters including Mandate and Governance.
The Director General of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), Dr. Kamil Idris, called on member states on Wednesday to continue to build on progress made by the Organization to ensure that the intellectual property (IP) system fully contributes to wealth creation and the socio economic development of all nations. This came at the close of a general debate by the WIPO General Assembly on the results-based Program Performance Report of the Organization for 2006. The meetings of WIPO Assemblies are taking place from September 24 to October 3, 2007.
An exhibition showcasing various facets of creativity in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) was inaugurated on Monday evening at the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), coinciding with the opening day of the annual session of the WIPO Assemblies. The exhibition, "HK Creativity – Intellectual Property in Hong Kong, China," has been organized jointly by WIPO and the Government of the People’s Republic of China, in cooperation with the Government of the Hong Kong SAR.
A three year project funded by the Geneva International Academic Network (GIAN) and coordinated by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) has developed a model to enhance the capacity of health research institutes in developing countries to leverage the value of their research results through strategic management of their intellectual property (IP) assets. It has already led to the filing of patents for cancer-related treatments in participating countries.
The Director General of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), Dr. Kamil Idris, welcomed the accession by the European Community (EC) to the Geneva Act of the Hague Agreement Concerning the International Registration of Industrial Designs, which offers businesses in all participating countries a simple, affordable and efficient way of obtaining and maintaining their industrial designs.
The World Intellectual Property Organization has launched another workbook in its series of publications for school children entitled “Learn from the Past, Create the Future”. The latest workbook, “The Arts and Copyright”, offers teachers and students an engaging and informative account of the principles of copyright law and uses a wealth of colorful examples to demonstrate how copyright and related rights work in practice to protect and encourage creativity.
The meetings of the Assemblies of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), which bring together WIPO’s 184 member states, opened on September 24, 2007 with the election of Ambassador Martin I. Uhomoibhi, Permanent Representative of Nigeria to the United Nations in Geneva as Chairman of the WIPO General Assembly. The meeting of WIPO Assemblies, which run from September 24 to October 3, 2007, will take stock of progress in the Organization’s work and discuss future policy directions.