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a U.S. National Commission for UNESCO
mandated by its constitution as well as the Senate
confirmation of the United States ambassador to the
Organization.
THE WORLD INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY ORGANIZATION (WIPO)
The blue tower which overlooks the Place des Nations and which boasts a superb view of Geneva, its lake
and the surrounding area is home to the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO). WIPO, one of the
16 specialized agencies of the United Nations System, is mandated to promote creativity and the protection
of intellectual property rights through cooperation with its member states.
The origins of the Organization date back to the latter part of the 19 th Century with the conclusion of the Paris
Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property in 1883 and the Berne Convention for the Protection of
Literary and artistic works in 1886. These treaties – which offer international protection for industrial property
rights (inventions, trademarks and industrial designs) and for the right to control and receive payment for the
use of creative works, respectively - are the cornerstones of the international intellectual property system.
The Paris and Berne Conventions each established an international bureau to carry out administrative tasks.
In 1893, these two small bureaux united to form the Berne-based United International Bureaux for the
Protection of Intellectual Property (best known by its French acronym BIRPI). This small organization
evolved into the WIPO of today - a dynamic intergovernmental organization with 179 member states and a
staff that now numbers over 900, from some 92 countries around the world.
WIPO is at the forefront of efforts to ensure that the rights of creators and owners of intellectual property are
protected worldwide and that they are recognized and rewarded for their ingenuity.
The incentives built into the IP system encourage inventors and artists to realize their talents and push
forward the frontiers of technology and creativity to the benefit of us all. The tools of that system (e.g.
patents, trademarks and copyright) allow inventors and creators to transform the fruits of their intellectual
efforts into assets that can benefit themselves and their countries. The vision guiding WIPO’s mission is to
ensure that all countries are able to capitalize on the opportunities presented by the knowledge economy
and to tap into the limitless creative resources of their people in order to generate sustainable social and
economic development.
WIPO’s activities fall into three main clusters, namely intellectual property standard setting, assistance to
developing countries and WIPO’s global protection systems (GPS) which facilitate the process of obtaining
international intellectual property protection for rights such as patents, trademarks and industrial designs.
Norm-setting is one of the Organization’s core activities. The development of international intellectual
property law is a crucial element in creating a flexible, user-friendly and affordable IP system that balances
the rights of inventors and creators and the interests of the general public taking into account, at the same
time, the implications for the developing world. For example, under its Digital Agenda, WIPO has been
addressing the IP challenges associated with the advent of digital technologies and the Internet. The global,
anonymous character of the Internet and its technical sophistication have underlined the inadequacy of
conventional approaches in protecting the rights of IP owners in cyberspace. Increasingly, the intangible
products that are fuelling the knowledge economy lend themselves to transmission in digital form at the click
of a mouse to anywhere from anywhere without any loss of quality. The WIPO Digital Agenda outlines a
series of practical steps to address these issues, broaden participation in and expand the benefits that the
Internet and e-commerce create.
WIPO also has an active cooperation for development program. A nation’s well-being increasingly hinges on
its ability to convert knowledge and information into tangible economic assets. Economic trends show that a
nation’s ability to generate wealth and protect its cultural heritage depends on its access to and use of the
intellectual property system. WIPO’s mission is to ensure that all countries are able to capitalize on the
opportunities presented by the knowledge economy and to tap into the limitless creative resources of their
people in order to generate sustainable social and economic development. WIPO is committed to
empowering member states to develop, protect, enforce, manage and commercially exploit IP. To this end
the Organization offers a range of services to help countries reach their IP goals and advance their
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