World intellectual property day

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On April 26, to mark the 10th anniversary of World

Intellectual Property Day, WIPO launched an exhi-

bition at its headquarters in Geneva, showcasing

some of the many posters received from Member

States and organizations over the years.

At its inception, 10 years ago, the date of World IP

Day had been set to coincide with that of the en-

try into force of the Convention establishing

WIPO. This year, therefore, was a cause for multi-

ple celebrations, as it also saw the Organization

marking the 40th anniversary of that Convention –

as well as the launch of the new WIPO logo (see

WIPO Magazine 2/2010, p 2 and 4).

The theme for this year’s World IP Day, “Innovation

– Linking the World,“ seemed to spark imagina-

tions worldwide, with over 70 reports of a broad

range of activities, events and campaigns re-

ceived from Member States and organizations

from all parts of the globe.

Competitions

One report that caught our attention came from

the

U.K.

Intellectual Property Office (IPO) –

Bailiwick of Guernsey. The IPO reported that the

“Guernsey’s got Genius“ World IP Day competi-

tion was a great success, with some outstanding

entries from young people – secondary school

and college students from the Island. The winner,

12-year-old Pierre de Garis, was described as “a

veritable genius in the making.“ Pierre learned

how to use graphic design software from his aunt

over the course of a weekend, then designed his

invention, the “Dog Control Harness,“ from

scratch. He now wants to pursue a career in de-

sign. It looks like a good option, based on what

he’s produced so far!

Many other competitions were organized to mark

World IP Day, for example:

Bermuda’s Registry General Office: an essay

writing competition for middle and senior

school students on the theme “How does in-

novation link the world?“

The Irish Patents Office: a six-week Junior

Inventor Competition on the theme of “Green

Innovation.“

Hong Kong

SAR’s

Intellectual Property Depart-

ment, Customs and Excise Department,

Reprographic Rights Licensing Society and

Hong Kong Education City Ltd.: a jointly

launched video clip competition among young

WORLD INTELLECTUAL

PROPERTY DAY 2010

India

JUNE 2010

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