WIPO Director General Holds Talks in Spain

Geneva, September 12, 2006
Press Updates UPD/2006/279

The Director General of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) held talks with senior Spanish and European officials in Madrid on September 7, 2006 and participated in the inauguration of new premises of the Spanish Patent and Trademark Office in the heart of Madrid's financial district.

Dr. Idris met with their Royal Highnesses Don Prince Felipe de Borbón and Princess Doña Letizia, who have a keen interest in the country's technological development. Discussions covered the relevance of the Spanish Office in the international patent system and its cooperation in promoting the development of industrial property systems in developing countries, especially in the Latin American region.

The Director General also held talks with Spain's Minister of Industry, Tourism and Trade, Mr. José Montilla, as well as the Under Secretary for Industry, Tourism and Trade, Mrs. María Teresa Gomez Condado, to discuss Spain's strategic use of the intellectual property system. Spain's Ambassador the United Nations in Geneva, Mr. Juan March, as well as the Director General of the Spanish Patent and Trademark Office, Mrs. María Teresa Mogín Barquín, also participated in the discussions.

The growing use of the patent system in Spain was highlighted by the Director General, who stressed the importance of the 36% growth in filings under WIPO's Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) filings in Spain in 2005. In this context, the performance of the Spanish Office as a PCT International Searching and Preliminary Examining Authority and its importance for Spanish-speaking users of the patent system were discussed.

During a meeting with the Director General of the Office of Harmonization for the Internal Market (OHIM), Mr. Wubbo De Boer, the Vice-President of the European Patent Office (EPO), Mr. Manuel de Santes, the Director General of the Spanish Office, senior officials from the Presidency of the Spanish Government, Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Industry, Tourism and Trade, and the senior management team of the Spanish Office, Dr. Idris discussed the synergies of the European Community and Spanish industrial property systems. Talks also covered recent and future developments in the Spanish Office and cooperation with WIPO.

The Director General also met with representatives from industry, the patent attorney community, universities, and research institutions.

At the inauguration ceremony of the new building of the Spanish Patent and Trademark Office, Dr. Idris said the Office has been instrumental in ensuring the best possible protection of intellectual property assets in Spain and abroad. He noted "as a consequence of the growing involvement of industry in the global economy, national companies investing in research and development are increasingly interested in obtaining such protection at the international level." Dr. Idris added that the Spanish Office's "commitment to implementing the advantages provided for under the Patent Cooperation Treaty is well-known, and has greatly helped to build a solid foundation in this area. The Spanish Office also provides its services under the Patent Cooperation Treaty to applicants from Spanish-speaking countries of Latin America, so that developing countries may benefit from the patent system on an international scale."

Dr. Idris lauded the Spanish Office as one of the first to adopt electronic filing and processing of patent and trademark applications, allowing users of the system to gain time and save money. "This is another example of the great dynamism of this Office, which has consistently addressed the complex challenges of the current intellectual property system. The Office also offers customized technological information products, that help users to define their intellectual property and marketing strategies. This is indeed an Office committed to serving the public."

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

• Tel: (+41 22) 338 81 61 or (+41 22) 338 95 47;
• E-mail: publicinf@wipo.int
• Fax: (+41 22) 338 82 80.