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Gender Issues in IP Discussed for the Second Time at WIPO General Assemblies

November 25, 2016

A panel on Women, Innovation and Intellectual Property took place on October 4, 2016, during WIPO’s General Assemblies. The panel followed the first of its kind in the previous year’s Assemblies.  The event welcomed a range of speakers and highlighted the need for more work in promoting gender equality in the field of intellectual property (IP).

Video: High-level panel discussion Video

The high-level panel discussion was organized as a lunchtime side event of the WIPO Assemblies. The objective was to share experiences, showcase good practices and exchange ideas. Four high-level speakers took part, including an inventor/entrepreneur from Turkey, representatives of national intellectual property offices from the Dominican Republic and the United States and a science policy expert from UNESCO.  The panel was moderated by Ms. Sylvie Forbin, Deputy Director General, Copyright and Creative Industries Sector, WIPO.

The speakers were:

  • Özge Akbulut, Assistant Professor, Sabanci University / Cofounder, Surgitate, Inc., Turkey
  • Ernesto Fernández Polcuch, Chief of Section, Science Policy and Partnerships, Division of Science Policy and Capacity Building, Natural Sciences Sector, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
  • Ruth A. Lockward, Director General, National Office of Industrial Property (ONAPI), Ministry of Industry and Trade, Dominican Republic
  • Shira Perlmutter, Chief Policy Officer and Director for International Affairs, United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO)

Organizational commitment

In his opening remarks, the Director General of WIPO, Mr. Francis Gurry, stressed that this second panel discussion on Women, Innovation and Intellectual Property during the WIPO Assemblies showed WIPO’s strong commitment to gender equality. 

This commitment is shown in a number of areas of WIPO’s work, including the Global Innovation Index, which references gender in one of the indicators, as well as having a staff target for gender parity.  He cited the recent WIPO study on the gender of inventors in international patent applications in the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) and highlighted that, although the study showed an increase in patenting by women over the years, it still presented a significant gender gap.    

Imperative for gender equality

The panel shared their experiences and a number of good practices.  A strong case was made for the need to promote gender equality. 

  • On one hand, it is a human right for women and girls to be able to choose and develop their vocation. On the other hand, countries need the entire population contributing to their full capacities to their economy and development, if they are to achieve the sustainable development goals. 
  • Addressing this gender disparity and increasing the pool of qualified talent with STEM backgrounds has become a business imperative and an issue of global competitiveness.

Recommendations

The panel settled on a number of recommendations, designed to further equality in the field of intellectual property:

  • It would be useful to add a field or box to collect information on the gender of patent applicants.  In the absence of such information, studies using gender-name dictionaries based on first names present approximate but important indications on the participation of women in patenting.
  • Legislation and policies should be coupled with initiatives to promote and diffuse science to a younger generation.
  • Measuring and presenting concrete and relevant data is a key to making sure policies and decisions are based in fact.
  • Acknowledging and countering the existing gender bias in the selection of researchers, for example, is important.
  • It is everyone’s responsibility to work with the younger generation so that girls are inspired to choose STEM as their future career. Teachers also play an important role.
  • Flexible work arrangements benefit everyone, including women in research. Flexible hours and schedules are crucial to encourage women to choose life styles such as that of a researcher.  Supporting researchers with childcare responsibilities, such as offering childcare facilities at conferences, would go a long way. 
  • It is important to ensure that women are properly credited for the research that they have undertaken.
  • It is worth exploring the use of mentoring and highlighting role models.
  • Reaching out to women researchers and scientists in universities, as well as doctors, is important to raise their awareness and increase their knowledge of IP.

Find out more

  • Breast & Cement, Ink., Ms. Özge Akbulut, Assistant Professor, Sabanci University / Cofounder, Surgitate, Inc. PPT, Presentation Ms. Akbulut
  • Promoting gender equality in STEM: UNESCO and the SAGA Project, Mr. Ernesto Fernandez Polcuch, Chief of Section, Science Policy and Partnerships, Natural Science Sector, UNESCO PPT, Presentation Mr. Polcuch
  • Women, Innovation and Intellectual Property in the Dominican Republic (Mujer, Innovacion y Propiedad Industrial en la Republica Dominicana), Dr. Ruth Alexandra Lockward, Director General, National Office of Industrial Property (ONAPI), Ministry of Industry and Trade, Dominican Republic Video

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