WIPO Takes Measures to Raise Global Awarenessof E-Commerce Issues

Geneva, October 1, 1998
Press Updates UPD/1998/35

The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) has gained approval from its member States to implement a number of measures designed to raise awareness about electronic commerce issues in all regions of the world. Electronic commerce has assumed major economic and policy importance as the Internet has continued its remarkable expansion. The successful development of electronic commerce hinges on the maintenance of a stable operating environment and intellectual property issues are of central importance in maintaining such an environment.

In view of the recognized importance of this rapidly evolving area of intellectual property law, WIPO has initiated a number of activities to raise awareness of the impact of electronic commerce issues on the international intellectual property system. These activities include the formation of a Steering Committee which will meet informally with the Director General to provide advice on WIPO's activities in this area. Secondly, a series of regional consultation meetings will be held in Africa, Asia and Latin America. These consultations will inform on ways in which electronic commerce is affecting intellectual property and will assist interested parties in formulating a timely response to these issues. Thirdly, it is foreseen that a major international conference on electronic commerce will be held in Geneva in the Spring of 1999. This Conference will address general developments in relation to electronic commerce and the implications of those developments for intellectual property. Working sessions of the Conference will consider the impact of electronic commerce issues on particular sectors, such as the film, publishing, multimedia, information technology sectors. The impact on delivery of intellectual property services by national and regional offices will also be considered. An issues paper will be published in the near future which will define more clearly the perceived impact of electronic commerce on the intellectual property system.

An equally important and related WIPO activity includes the Organization's continuing work relating to the international process to address intellectual property issues associated with Internet domain names. This area of its work is deemed particularly important given the often contentious relationship between domain names and trademarks. With the growth of the Internet, domain names have increasingly come into conflict with trademarks as a result of so-called "cybersquatting". This is a practice whereby an individual registers the trademarks of other persons or enterprises as domain names for themselves. WIPO has initiated two related activities in this regard.

On the one hand, the WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center has undertaken steps to develop an on-line, Internet-based system for the administration of procedures for the resolution of domain name disputes. On the other hand, WIPO has initiated an international process to develop recommendations for the intellectual property issues associated with domain names, including dispute resolution. The WIPO Internet Domain Name Process is being carried out through a combination of Internet-based consultations and regional consultation meetings. Such arrangements are designed to ensure the broadest possible participation by all interested parties . To this end, a web site has been established and may be accessed through the following web addresses: http://wipo2.wipo.int or https://www.wipo.int, by clicking on "Internet Domain Names." This web site is available in English, French and Spanish.

For further details, please contact the Electronic Commerce Section:

Tel: (+41 22) 338 91 64
Fax: (+41 22) 740 37 00
E-mail: sue.olesen@wipo.int