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WIPO Worldwide Academy Advisory Board Discusses Future Trends

Geneva, June 22, 2006
Press Releases PR/2006/450

The Advisory Board of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Worldwide Academy (WWA) met in Geneva on Wednesday, June 21, 2006 to take stock of the Academy's activities over the last four years and discuss future challenges. The Board endorsed a number of future WWA initiatives , including the launch of a Master's course on international intellectual property (MIIP), greater diversification of the distance learning program and increased partnerships with academic institutions. The Academy was established by WIPO Director General, Dr. Kamil Idris, in 1998 as a specialized institution for intellectual property (IP) education and a hub for expanding the network of IP educational institutes around the globe.

In his presentation to the Board on the strategic plan for the future of the Academy, Mr. Yo Takagi, Executive Director of the Office of Strategic Planning and Policy Development, who oversees the work of the Academy, said "IP ignites the power of the human intellect and creates the unique value and brand of all states and private corporations. The courses offered by the Academy are playing a key role in democratizing IP, particularly in emerging markets, and helping various players to shape astute IP strategies." Mr. Takagi added, "The Academy's strategy will evolve in line with the demand for IP training and, in addition to programs on traditional and conventional areas of IP, the Academy's curriculum will include courses on new and emerging IP-related areas of interest to member states and other audiences".

The Dean of the Acedemy, Mr. Mpazi Sinjela, underlined that the WWA would continue to respond to the growing demand from WIPO's member states for customized training programs. The Board provided a number of valuable insights and shared their respective experiences in the field of IP and education.

The Board, chaired by Prof. Gudmundur Alfredsson from the University of Lund in Sweden, and composed of 12 members, including heads of IP offices, leading academicians and policy-makers in the field of education and IP from around the world, endorsed the current approach to program implementation. It further advised greater diversification of the distance learning program to meet the growing demand for training in IP. The distance learning program is a useful tool for mass education that would enable the Academy to reach wider and more diverse audiences in different languages.

The Board recommended that, as an international nucleus for IP education and research, the Academy should strengthen global partnerships with leading academic institutions. It also suggested that in light of the growing demand for the Academy's services, it should seek more sustainable and flexible arrangements to allow for sponsorship and financial contributions from governments and other organizations.

In addition, the Board supported a plan to launch a Masters course in international intellectual property WIPO's Geneva headquarters as early as 2007. This course would be offered on a regular basis and would provide a unique interdisciplinary approach to dynamically evolving IP systems.

Background Information

  • The WIPO Worldwide Academy, headquartered at WIPO headquarters in Geneva, offers IP education in seven languages – English, Arabic, Chinese, French, Portuguese, Spanish and Russian.
  • The Academy's target audience is not restricted to professionals working in the IP field (academia, teachers, government officials dealing with policy and implementation of IP), but extends to civil society and other stakeholders in the IP system.
  • Given the growing strategic importance of IP protection in member countries, the demand for tailor-made programs is steadily increasing. In response to this trend, the Academy is continuing to expand the scope of its training programs to include courses and seminars on legislative, administrative and enforcement aspects of the IP system.
  • The Academy's programs have been structured to meet the needs of various target groups and include Policy Development, Professional Development, Distance Learning, Education and Degree/Diploma and Research and Executive Programs.
  • The Policy Development Program is designed for high-level policy- and decision-makers to encourage debate and a deeper understanding of the practical implications of the IP as a tool for economic, social, cultural and technological growth and development. The program is also designed to promote a better understanding of the value and benefits that a country may derive from the IP system. Some 2,988 participants took part in training programs organized by the Policy Development Program during the period 2002 to mid-2006.
  • The Professional Development Program provides education and training for IP officials working in Intellectual Property Offices (IPOs) in developing and least developed countries, and countries in transition to a market economy. The program aims to enhance IP-based skills and knowledge, and to improve the quality and efficiency of services and products provided by IPOs. From 2002 to mid-2006, more than 125 courses in over 112 countries were organized under the Professional Development Program, and more than 885 people directly benefited from these courses.
  • The Academy School Program on IP is also organized within the Professional Development Program. This sub-program enables students and IP professionals to benefit from lectures, research and networking opportunities at the Academy in Geneva. Over 600 applications were received for the 60 self-financing places available on this popular course.
  • The Distance Learning Program was launched in June 1999 in direct response to the increased demand from member states for assistance in human resources development. This highly cost-efficient program heralds a shift in teaching methodology, with the attendant advantages of flexibility of time and space. Distance learning courses are delivered via the Internet, permitting online registration, student-teacher interaction, student tests, course-monitoring and evaluation. Since the launch of the first introductory course on IP, the distance learning program has evolved considerably.
  • The widespread appeal of the "General Course on Intellectual Property" (DL101) is a clear indication of the enormous potential of the Distance Learning Program. In 1999 the number of students that registered for the DL101 in English, French and Spanish was 468. Since then, more than 60,000 students from over 160 countries have taken this course.
  • The range of courses offered by the Academy has also expanded into a comprehensive IP curriculum. In addition to DL-101, the Program at present includes a Primer on Intellectual Property (an easy-to-read introduction to the fundamental concepts of IP); and four advanced courses: Copyright and Related Rights (DL-201); Electronic Commerce (DL-202); Introduction to the UPOV System of Plant Variety Protection under the UPOV Convention (DL-205); and Intellectual Property and Biotechnology (DL-204). Five additional Advanced Courses: Patent Drafting (DL-208); Patent Search (DL-209); Patents (DL-301); Arbitration and Dispute Settlement (DL-302); and IP for Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (DL-303) will be launched in 2007.
  • Through the Education Degree/Diploma Program, which was created to enhance IP education at university level, the Academy offers assistance to universities in designing courses on IP and works to promote greater cooperation among universities in IP teaching and training.
  • In 2000 the Academy launched the first Post-graduate Specialization Course on Intellectual Property, in cooperation with the University of Turin, and with the assistance of the Government of Italy and the International Training Center of the International Labour Office (ILO) in Turin, Italy. The course attracts some 40 students annually; half of whom, sponsored by WIPO, are from developing countries; the remaining students, mainly from Europe and other countries, are self-sponsored.
  • The Academy has also entered into cooperation agreements with other higher education institutions, including:
    • Raoul Wallenberg Institute/University of Lund, Sweden – Master's Program in Human Rights and Intellectual Property Rights Law (LL.M);
    • Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), India – Postgraduate Diploma Course in IP;
    • University of South Africa (UNISA), South Africa – Diploma Course in IP;
    • University of Bucharest, Romania – Diploma Course in IP;
    • Cooperation for Higher Education, National Technical University of Ukraine, Kyiv, Ukraine;
    • Cooperation for Higher Education, Federal University of Rio Grande Do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil.
    • The Research and Executive Program was recently established to support the emerging demand for refined, focused study of IP for more business-oriented IP education, training and research. One of the prime objectives of this program is to empirically demonstrate the strategic value of the IP system as tool for economic growth and national development.
    • Business-specific IP education and training is undertaken in partnership with leading institutions of learning in the fields of law, business management, engineering and technology and includes highly interactive and practical teaching sessions based on group discussions, case studies, examination of best practices, and real- life experiences and situations.
    • Members of the WIPO Academy Advisory Board 2006 (in alphabetical order):

      Prof. Gudmundur Alfredsson, Director, Raoul Wallenberg Institute, University of Lund, Sweden (Chairman)

      Mr. Jorge Amigo, Director General, Mexican Institute of Industrial Property (IMPI), Mexico represented by Mr. Mario Rodriguez Montero, Deputy Director General, IMPI

      Prof. William Hennessey, Chair, Intellectual Property Programs, Franklin Pierce Law Centre, United States of America

      Prof. Francois Dessemontet, Professor, University of Lausanne, Switzerland

      Mr. Abdullah Khalid Khatir, Journalist, Sudan

      Dr. Li Yuguang, Deputy Commissioner, State Intellectual Property Office, China

      Dr. R. A. Mashelkar, Director General, Department of Scientific & Industrial Research, India (absent)

      Prof. Lucian Mihai, Director, Center for Intellectual Property Law, University of Bucharest, Romania

      Dr. Sadao Nagaoka, Professor, Institute of Innovation Research, Hitotsubashi University, Japan (absent)

      Mr. G.H. Sibanda, Director General, African Regional Intellectual Property Office, Harare

      Prof. Joseph Straus, Director, Max Planck Institute for Intellectual Property, Competition and Tax Law, Chair, Managing Board, Munich Intellectual Property Law Center, Germany

      Mr. Weerawit Weeraworawit, Minister (Commercial Affairs) Ministry of Commerce, Thailand

      For further information please contact the Media Relations and Public Affairs Section at:

    • Tel: (+41 22) - 338 81 61 or 338 95 47
    • Fax: (+41 22) - 338 88 10
    • Email: publicinf@wipo.int.
  • Tel: (+41 22) - 338 81 61 or 338 95 47
  • Fax: (+41 22) - 338 88 10
  • Email: publicinf@wipo.int.
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