ACE: Imaginative Approaches to Building Respect for IP at 11th Session
September 7, 2016
The 11th session of the WIPO Advisory Committee on Enforcement (ACE) came to a close on September 7, 2016, after three days of discussion on the theme of building respect for intellectual property (IP). The session was attended by 69 member states, one non-state member and 23 observers. Participants heard 38 expert presentations and two panel discussions relating to the ACE work program.
The delegates were addressed by WIPO Director General Francis Gurry, who remarked on the extraordinary wealth of information that had been shared during the meeting. In his view, globalization and the transition to knowledge economy has exacerbated the problem of building respect for IP. The Director General was pleased to note the collegial manner in which WIPO member states had participated in the meeting and thanked them for their engagement with a complex, but important subject.
A short summary of the ACE from WIPO Assistant Director General, Minelik Alemu Getahun
Remarks from WIPO's Director General, Francis Gurry
Ms. Amanda Lotheringen, Senior Manager, Copyright and IP Enforcement, Companies and IP Commission (CIPC), Ministry of Trade and Industry, South Africa, served as Chair and Mr. Igor Moldovan, First Secretary, Permanent Mission of the Republic of Moldova to the United Nations Office and other international organizations in Geneva as Vice-Chair, both having been elected to those positions at the tenth session of the ACE. Ms. Pamela Wille, Counsellor, Permanent Mission of Germany to the United Nations Office and other international organizations in Geneva, was also elected as a Vice-Chair of the Committee.
Work program
The Committee’s proceedings followed the work program adopted at the 10th session of the ACE in 2015, which comprises the following items:
- Exchange of information on national experiences on awareness building activities and strategic campaigns as a means for building respect for IP among general public, especially the youth, in accordance with member states’ educational or any other priorities;
- Exchange of information on national experiences relating to institutional arrangements concerning IP enforcement policies and regimes, including a mechanism to resolve IP disputes in a balanced, holistic and effective manner;
- Exchange of information on national experiences in respect of WIPO’s legislative assistance, with a focus on drafting national laws of enforcement that take into account the flexibilities, the level of development, the difference in legal tradition and the possible abuse of enforcement procedures, bearing in mind the broader societal interest and in accordance with member states’ priorities; and
- Exchange of success stories on capacity building and support from WIPO for training activities at national and regional levels for agencies and national officials in line with relevant Development Agenda recommendations and the ACE mandate.
Side event: ACE exhibition
Alongside the ACE, an exhibition was organized on respect for IP and tourism. Eight exhibitors from WIPO member states and other organizations presented campaigns designed to positively change behavior among consumers, in particular at the national border. The activities of the WIPO Building Respect for IP Division were also presented, including WIPO’s new educational web site on building respect for copyright, www.respectforcopyright.org, developed with the support of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of the Republic of Korea.
Future work
The Committee discussed the work program for the ACE and decided that at its twelfth session it would continue to base its work on the four topics adopted at the tenth session of the ACE.
Find out more
- All working documents are available on the dedicated ACE webpage.
- ACE: Commitment to Building Respect for IP at 10th Session.