WIPO assemblies. WIPO member states endorse reforms

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This year’s meetings of WIPO’s Assemblies – which

saw the participation of 64 ministers as well as del-

egations from 184 member states – were unique,

featuring the appearance of iconic singer-song-

writer Stevie Wonder. The musician’s impassioned

plea for governments to reach agreement on en-

hanced accessibility of copyright content for per-

sons with physical disabilities set the tone of the

meetings which went on to endorse reforms led by

Director General Francis Gurry.

Director General

underscores

role of innovation

The role of innovation in promoting economic

growth and competitiveness and significant

changes in the global innovation landscape were

the focus of the Director General’s opening re-

marks. “Innovation is central to economic growth

and to the creation of new and better jobs. It is the

key to competitiveness for countries, for industries

and for individual firms.I t is the process by which

solutions are developed to social and economic

challenges,” Mr. Gur ry told ministers and delegates

participating in the two-day, high-level segment of

the Assemblies.

High-level segment

Over 64 ministers s hared their nat ional experi-

ences on “Innovation, Growth and Develop ment:

The Role of Intellec tual Property (IP).” Mi nisters

underscore d the importan ce of IP in supp orting

the search for solutions to t he many chall enges

confrontin g their count ries. They emphas ized the

need for a b alanced IP system to create a secure

environment for invest ment in i nnovation and

highlighte d the impo rtance of implementing na-

tional IP strategies to effectively man age IP assets

for devel opment.

Innovati on is als o “the reason why we have intel-

lectual p roperty” he noted. Add ing that it pro-

vides th e incentive fo r the signific ant “investment

of time, effor t and human and fin ancial resources”

associated with the process of innovation and its

many ben efits.

The growing complexity of “the journey from idea

to commercial reality,” Mr. Gurry noted, has led to “a

broadening of the understanding of what consti-

tutes innovation.” He said that organizational, mar-

keting and design – in addition to technological –

knowledge were vital to successful in novation.

“Intellectual property is also central to these other

dimensions o f the enlarged notion of innovation,”

he observed.

Pointing to changes in the global innovation land-

scape, he said “Both the geography of innovation

and the means by which innovation o ccurs are

changing, overturning many of our assumptions

and expectations.” Trends in ec onomic growth and

patterns of investment in education and research

and development, he continued, “make it clear

that furt her continental shift s will occur in the

world of innovation and tha t the map of innova-

tion will continu e to evolve.”

The Director Genera l referred to the emergence of

“open innova tion” – a rising trend in the increas-

ingly “networked and connected economy ” –

where “enterprises and institut ions look outside

themselves to satisf y their innovation needs

Against this backdrop, the Director General noted

that “WIPO ’s role in developing and coordinating

global infrastructure” has acquired “more impor-

tance.” This i s “an increasingly fertile” area for effec-

tive international cooperation insofar as it offers an

opportunity to reduce the knowledge gap and in-

crease participation by least developed and devel-

oping countries in global innova tion.Mr. Gurry un-

derscored that it also offers a “ver y effective means

of improving both the efficiency of the work of

patent offices in suppor t of innovation and the

quality of thei r output.”

The Director General underlined the need to continue

to improve the “essential support services for global

innovation” offered by WIPO through its global IP sys-

tems1which are enjoying widespread and expanding

membership. He recalled that these strategic assets

generate over 90 percent of the Organization’s rev-

enue, enabling it to offer a wide range of capacity-

building and development services.

WIPO MEMBER

STATES ENDORSE

REFORMS

1 Patent Cooperation

Treaty (PC T),

the Madri d System for

the Inter national

Registratio n of Marks,

the Hague System for

the Inter national

Registratio n of

Industrial Designs and

the Lisbon System for

the Inter national

Registratio n of

Appellation s of Origin. 

WIPO ASSEMBLIES