Ambassador Javier Garrigues, Permanent Representative of Spain in Geneva, AISGE General Manager Abel Martín, AISGE Chairwoman Pilar Bardem, WIPO Director General Francis Gurry, WIPO Senior Advisor Marcelo Di Pietro Peralta (Photo AISGE)
MADRID, June 18
The Artistas Intérpretes Sociedad de Gestión (AISGE) welcomed WIPO Director General Francis Gurry to Madrid for the first visit of a WIPO Director General to their headquarters. The collective management society represents Spanish audiovisual performers – actresses, actors, dancers, theater directors. AISGE, a long-time partner of WIPO, has participated in many initiatives with the Organization in Africa, Asia, Europe and Latin America in countries such as Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Colombia. Many of the world’s leading performers are from the Ibero-American cultural bloc (Spain, Portugal and Latin America), and strongly rely on intellectual property to protect their rights.
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WIPO Director General Francis Gurry, Bulgarian Patent Office President Kostadin Manev, Professor Borislav Borisov, WIPO Acting Director Marcus Höpperger (Photo Svetlana Munteanu)
SOFIA, June 10 to 12
Legal, economic and trade issues were at the center of discussion at the WIPO Worldwide Symposium on Geographical Indications (GIs), jointly organized by the Bulgarian Patent Office and WIPO. The Symposium brought together speakers from 16 countries and 5 continents, and some 250 participants from over 40 countries and six organizations, including the World Trade Organization and the European Union. At the event, WIPO Director General Francis Gurry highlighted the importance of wider policy objectives in the area of geographical indications, such as the role GIs can play in rural development and in the preservation of traditional knowledge. The program included presentations that shed light on the administrative and procedural details that are inherent in GI protection. It also looked into the economic dimension of GIs and brought together a representative panel of prominent experts to discuss perspectives for GIs from various viewpoints.
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PRETORIA, May 26 and 27
A gathering of senior policymakers and IP administrators from 36 African countries marked the launch of a program to promote the use of IP in Africa and Least Developed Countries (LDCs). The event, organized by WIPO in cooperation with the governments of South Africa and Japan, is part of the WIPO-administered Japanese Funds-in-Trust (FIT) Program for Africa and LDCs. The two-day meeting provided an opportunity for participants to reflect on the range of policy options available to create an enabling environment for the effective use and management of IP assets. IP experts from Japan, Malaysia, Kenya, Ethiopia, South Africa and the African Regional Intellectual Property Office (ARIPO), WIPO and the World Bank addressed a range of themes. Participants also discussed concrete proposals for future activities to be implemented within the framework of the FIT Program.
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