Delegates Review WIPO Assistance to Developing Countries

Geneva, June 10, 1999
Press Updates UPD/1999/62

The delegates attending the first session of the Permanent Committee on Cooperation for Development Related to Intellectual Property, held at WIPO headquarters from 31 May to 4 June 1999, congratulated WIPO on its support for technical cooperation in the field of development. The participants expressed the wish that the assistance should continue and expand in the future.

The Committee, which has resulted from the merger of the former Permanent Committee for Development Cooperation Related to Industrial Property (PC/IP) and the Permanent Committee for Development Cooperation Related to Copyright and Neighboring Rights (PC/CR), reviewed and evaluated the activities undertaken within the development cooperation program established by WIPO.

The participants, from 82 States and 15 intergovernmental organizations and international non-governmental organizations, made recommendations on the future orientation of the program and particularly stressed the importance of intellectual property for economic, technical and cultural development.

The following WIPO activities were amongst the numerous issues addressed:

• Assistance to developing countries in relation to the Agreement on Trade-related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS Agreement)

After a detailed review of the activities undertaken by WIPO between 1 January 1996 and 30 March 1999 in relation to the implementation of the TRIPS Agreement, numerous delegations stated that the joint initiative launched in July 1998 by WIPO and WTO would assist the developing countries in complying with the 1 January 2000 deadline for the implementation of the provisions of the TRIPS Agreement.

Since 1 January 1994, WIPO has been carrying out an intensive program of development cooperation activities in relation to the TRIPS Agreement and 129 of the developing or least developed countries have so far received assistance from WIPO in this field. The Organization has also provided advice on legislation, at the request of the countries concerned, to a considerable number of developing countries in the form of 136 draft laws relating to intellectual property matters for 78 developing countries and regional organizations. WIPO has also participated in the elaboration of draft provisions for amending and modernizing current laws in the field of intellectual property and in drawing up observations and suggestions with regard to 130 draft laws.

As regards the development of human resources, WIPO has organized 77 regional meetings at which some 9,600 persons have participated. Further, 165 sub-regional or national meetings for various target groups have been organized for the benefit of some 14,200 national public servants or representatives of the private sector.

• Development of human resources and the WIPO Worldwide Academy

For the sole year 1998, the Academy received 2,582 requests for training and more than 1,000 fellowships were awarded. Launched in March 1998, the distance learning program has devised a first introductory course on intellectual property, which will run from 1 June to 15 July 1999 in the form of a pilot project.

After assessment of this pilot experience, the course will be consolidated and offered worldwide in English, French and Spanish over fixed periods of six weeks, as from October 1999.

The Academy further plans the publication, in the year 2000, of an Intellectual Property Yearbook. The Yearbook will contain basic articles by recognized authors and intellectual property practitioners and is expected to become a valuable reference work for theoretical and practical studies in this field.

• Assistance to the least developed countries (LDCs)

At present, through its nationally focused action plans, WIPO is conducting 44 projects in 38 LDCs in the fields of copyright, industrial property and folklore. There are 48 countries that are classified as LDCs (33 are in Africa, 14 in Asia and the Pacific and one in the Latin-American and Caribbean region).

The program of technical assistance to the LDCs provides technical assistance and cooperation to Governments with the aim of modernizing their intellectual property (industrial property and copyright) systems in conformity with the national objectives of each country. Thirty-nine LDCs have acceded to the Convention establishing WIPO. The program is implemented by various Bureaux and Divisions within the Organization which, in accordance with the general policy defined by the Director General, are concerned with the development of the human and institutional capacities of the LDCs.

• Promotion of innovation and creativity

Several countries announced that they would like to receive assistance from WIPO in the creation of national support structures for invention and innovation or that they would like to share the experience that they had acquired at national level.

The aim of WIPO's activities in the promotion of inventive and creative activity is to contribute to economic and social progress whilst providing improved protection and commercialization of intellectual property in the international marketplace.

• Promotion and development of collective management of copyright and related rights

The delegates gave a favorable reception to this new division that has been set up within the Sector of Development for Cooperation.

In addition to the benefits that holders of rights may derive from the collective management of their rights, such systems will encourage them to create and contribute to the creation process and to the development of culture not only at national level, but also at international level. By considering efficient collection of royalties and their distribution to the rightholders to be part of national economic development, developing countries will place themselves in a position to put collective management systems to effective use by all sectors as a tool for economic and cultural growth.

WIPO has also contributed towards facilitating the acquisition of computer equipment and software by authors' societies in the developing countries. Its program of activities takes into account such needs and also the need for training programs in computer use and maintenance.

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