WIPO's first open day

• Pages: 14-16

WIPO linked up with its United Nations (UN) part-

ners in celebrating World Environment Day on

June 5, opening its doors to the public to host the

Organization’s first Open Day. The event, which

was a resounding success, was an opportunity for

WIPO to showcase its activities and to explain to

visiting members of the public, young and old,

what intellectual property (IP) is all about and how

it contributes to our daily lives.

The Open Day took place in the context of a week-

end of activities organized jointly with UN partners,

in cooperation with the Swiss Confederation, the

Geneva Cantonal authorities and a number of local

non-governmental organizations, including the

Fondation de Genève, Agir

and

Mandat international.

“Many species, one

planet, one future”

The event was inaugurated at an official ceremo-

ny attended by high-level officials at the gates of

the UN in Geneva. Speakers underlined the im-

portance of working together to protect the envi-

ronment for future generations and echoed the

theme of World Environment Day 2010, “Many

species, one planet, one future.“ Many of the

wide-ranging activities organized in the UN

grounds in Geneva, on the

Place des Nations

and

at WIPO focused on biodiversity and environmen-

tal sustainability, to mark the International Year of

Biodiversity 2010.

Something for everyone

On one of the sunniest days of the year, an esti-

mated 3,500 visitors crossed WIPO’s threshold ea-

ger to find out more about the Organization and

its activities, to explore the lobby and conference

rooms and to enjoy a stunning panoramic view of

Geneva, its lake and the Alps from the top floor.

They also had a chance to get a birds’ eye view of

WIPO’s new eco-oriented office building, due for

completion later this year, and to view a scaled

model of WIPO’s new conference center on which

work will begin early next year.

Eco-inventions

A full program of activities was on offer for all

ages. Inventors of “green“ technologies were on

site to demonstrate their technologies and to ex-

plain why IP is important for them. Mr. Marc

Parent, who has developed a pioneering means

of producing drinking water from condensation,

underlined the importance of patent protection

as a means of reassuring and attracting investors

to finance and support the commercialization

process.

More adventurous members of the public – and

some staff – tried out the Segway®, an alternative,

eco-friendly mode of transport, on a dedicated

circuit. In spite of a few near misses, there were no

bumps or bruises! “What a thrill, it’s a brilliant and

fun way to get around!“ exclaimed one happy

traveler.

The Segway® is a self-balancing electric trans-

portation device controlled by the natural move-

ments of the rider. The brain-child of U.S. inventor

and entrepreneur, Dean Kamen, it features a so-

phisticated combination of gyroscopes, comput-

ers and propulsion and energy management sys-

tems that respond to subtle shifts in balance.

The name “Segway“ is a homophone of “segue“

(a smooth transition, literally “follows“ in Italian

and Portuguese). The Segway® balances using

sensors that detect changes in terrain and body

position and the latest model does this up to

100 times per second. It can travel a distance of

24 miles/38 kms on a single charge. A 15-

minute charge is good to travel one mile/1.6km

and in most countries a full day’s charge (be-

tween 8 and 10 hours) will cost less than the

price of a newspaper. Mr. Kamen filed an inter-

national patent application for the Segway® in

2000 (WO/2000/075001) using WIPO’s Patent

Cooperation Treaty.

WIPO’S FIRST

OPEN DAY

Ms. Sandrine Salerno,

Mayor of the City of

Geneva, Ms. Micheline

Calmy-Rey, Swiss Federal

Councillor and Head of

the Federal Department

of Foreign Affairs, Mr.

Sergei Ordzhonikidze,

UNOG Director General

and Mr. Francis Gurry,

WIPO Director General

JUNE 2010

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Photo: WIPO/Jewell