Transcript International Symposium on “Industrial Property Rights and

“Major Trends in the development of
international protection of intellectual
property - WIPO’s perspective”
Minsk, Belarus,
November 24, 2004
Philippe Petit
Deputy Director General
World Intellectual Property Organization
I. WIPO’S ROLE

WIPO is an intergovernmental organization
focusing on global cooperation in
intellectual property.

Consensual developments of intellectual
property standards.

Management of the international
registration mechanisms (PCT, Madrid).

Technical assistance to developing
countries and countries in economic
transition.

Mediation and arbitration.
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II. INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

Economic, technical and legal
developments have increased international
attention paid to intellectual property.

Resources of an intellectual nature are of
crucial importance to businesses.

Legal protection of intellectual property
creates valuable intangible assets of
knowledge and innovation.

An efficient intellectual property
framework favors foreign direct
investments and promotes national
creativity.
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III. THE PATENT SYSTEM

Patents stimulate economic development:
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
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patent information facilitates technology transfer
and foreign direct investment;
patents encourage R&D at universities and
research centers;
patents are catalysts of new technologies and
businesses;
businesses engage in licensing and joint ventures.
The Patent Law Treaty (PLT), adopted in
2000, simplifies formalities and streamlines
procedures.
The Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT), having
reached full deployment, is experiencing
slower growth.
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IV. TRADEMARKS

A trademark distinguishes branded goods
or services, their origin, their quality and
their promotion.

The Madrid system gives a trademark
owner the possibility of protecting a
trademark in several countries.

The Diplomatic Conference for the
Adoption of a Revised Trademark Law
Treaty (TLT) will update the existing
treaty.
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V. COPYRIGHT

Copyright law provides protection for
literary and artistic works, giving authors
the ability to control the exploitation of
their works.

Adopted in 1996, the WIPO Internet
treaties update and improve international
copyright protection.

The adoption of a new instrument should
strengthen the position of performers in the
audiovisual industry.
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VI. ENFORCEMENT

The expansion of imitation technologies
has facilitated counterfeiting and piracy.
As a result:
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consumers are mislead, health and safety are
jeopardized; and
foreign and domestic investments are hindered.
The development of appropriate
enforcement is an area of concern to
WIPO, as it is to other organizations
(WCO, Interpol, WTO) and the private
sector.
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VII. THE DEVELOPMENT DIMENSION


WIPO’s SME strategy has the objective of
assisting SMEs in all sectors to enhance their
capacity through a wider and more effective
use of the intellectual property system.
WIPO’s work on traditional knowledge and
folklore acts as a support to cultural identity.

The WIPO General Assembly in September
2004 agreed to further examine a proposal
by a group of developing countries for a
WIPO development agenda.

One of the main strategic objectives of
WIPO is the promotion of an IP culture.
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THANK YOU
FOR YOUR ATTENTION