Working Groups of the Standing Committeeon Information Technologies Review Progress in Developing the WIPOGlobal Information Network (WIPOnet)

Geneva, November 23, 1998
Press Updates UPD/1998/42

Three working groups of the WIPO Standing Committee on Information Technologies met in Geneva from November 16 to 20, 1998. The working groups considered a number of priority matters relating to technical, operational and procedural aspects of the development of the WIPO's Global Information Network (WIPONET).

Background:

Member States of WIPO endorsed the establishment of the WIPONET in March 1998, earmarking some 22 million Swiss francs for this activity in the 1998-1999 biennium.

WIPONET is designed to provide electronic connectivity between intellectual property offices worldwide and to facilitate the rapid exchange of data between these offices. It is foreseen that the initial pilot phase of this project will be completed in the second half of 1999. Full deployment of the system is expected in the next 2 or 3 years. WIPONET will enable member States to exchange intellectual property information in a cost-effective, highly secure environment. It is designed to provide a platform on which WIPO and its member States may build and run current and future processes and applications. It also serves as an important vehicle for the dissemination of published intellectual property information to communities such as the public, universities, research and development institutions and copyright users. Wherever possible, WIPONET will use standard Internet protocols, services and industry standards.

The Working Groups

The three working groups, namely, the Information Infrastructure Working Group, the Information Security Working Group and the Standards and Documentation Working Group discussed a number of important technical issues associated with the further development and architecture of the Network.

The Information Infrastructure Working Group:

The Information Infrastructure Working Group reviewed the status of the tendering process for the Global Information Network project and the Secretariat's progress in establishing an inventory to assess the technical requirements for the provision of network services to intellectual property offices worldwide. At present, a variety of automation and access arrangements exist within the intellectual property offices of member States. Given the broad variation in such arrangements, WIPONET will provide a base level capability for all offices.

The Information Security Working Group

Information security issues relating to the exchange of unpublished, confidential, data using WIPONET, such as priority documents and electronic filing systems, are of primary importance in the development of the Global Information Network. The Working Group considered various technical issues relating to information security. It further considered a proposal for a pilot project to exchange secure, authenticated requests for priority documents through the network. Priority documents (a copy of the first filed national applications on the basis of which the priority is claimed) are issued by intellectual property offices which, at the request of applicants, transmit a copy of the priority document to other offices. The priority document is important for determining the deadline for subsequent applications to be filed in other countries. This pilot project will enable the exchange of secure, authenticated messages (using digital certificates and digital signatures) which request or acknowledge requests for priority document exchange. The secure electronic exchange of priority documents promises to significantly reduce the cost and resources consumed by the process of producing, transmitting and receiving copies of such documents in paper form.

The Standards and Documentation Working Group

The Standards and Documentation Working Group considered progress made in relation to the further development and extension of services offered under the WIPO Intellectual Property Digital Libraries (IPDL) project. In its initial phase, WIPO's prototype IPDL provided access to selected data relating to international applications published under the PCT. In its second phase, the WIPO IPDL will provide access to two major sources of international data in the area of patents and trademarks. Through a common search interface, the IPDL will provide extensive search capability, multiple user selectable output presentation formats and display options, multilingual support and search query history facilities. The content of the WIPO IPDL databases will be further developed in future to cover the availability of the full text of international applications filed under the PCT and the inclusion of intellectual property collections hosted on behalf of Member States participating in the WIPO IPDL project. With a view to promoting the widespread development and use of IPDLs at the national level, the Working Group considered a proposal to conduct a series of pilot projects to determine the applicability of various technical approaches. This exercise will be supported by the WIPO Secretariat which will provide assistance in the form of technical advice, and where appropriate, financial support.

For further details, please contact Mr. Yo Takagi, Director, Inter-Office Information Services Department at WIPO:

Tel: (+41 22) 338 9058
Fax: (+41 22) 734 63 92
E-mail: yo.takagi@wipo.int