World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)
The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) (or "OMPI" in French) is the United Nations Specialized Agency charged with making treaties related to intellectual property rights. Member States then implement the treaties into their own national laws.
Present activities of WIPO include the Development Agenda, which is an effort to reform WIPO’s norms and practices, and possible treaties on Database Rights, Indigenous Knowledge, Patents, Trademarks, Limitations and Exceptions to Copyright, and Intellectual Property Enforcement.
IP Justice is accredited to participate at WIPO as a "Permanent Observer" to the General Assembly and the Standing Committee on Copyrights and Related Rights (SCCR).
Read the article on WIPO by Robin Gross in the 2007 Global Information Society Report.
"Geneva Declaration" for the future of WIPO
A large coalition of academics, scientists, attorneys, activists, and policy makers (including IP Justice) have issued a “Declaration for the Future of WIPO” in an effort to bring balance and reform to WIPO. Many language versions available at the webpage of CPTech, who spear-headed the initiative.
19 Jun, 2010: Sign the International Civil Society Declaration on the Public Interest Concerns of the Proposed Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA)
Please consider endorsing the International Civil Society Declaration, which was the result of a meeting in Washington, DC (16-18 June 2010) of over 90 academics from 5 continents, public interest organizations and other legal experts concerned with the public interest aspects of ACTA. ACTA is a dangerous proposal to radically expand intellectual property rights at the global level. ...
9 Feb, 2009: ACTA, ISP Liability, Limitations & Exceptions Top Global Copyright Issues in 2009 (IP-Watch) 
"The Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement has sparked an outcry from public interest groups. “The speed with which it has been rushed through - and the secrecy of the meetings and the provisions is alarming,” said IP Justice Executive Director Robin Gross. ACTA will make routine surveillance of laptops, iPods and other devices in the hope of finding questionable music, videos and ...
14 Jul, 2008: WIPO Development Agenda committee deliberations on norm-setting, open source and creative commons (KEI)
"The WIPO Committee on Development and Intellectual Property (CDIP) had rich discussions on Thursday afternoon (July 10, 2008) on norm-setting, open source and creative commons as they related to recommendations 22 and 23 of the Development Agenda. Recommendation 22 states: WIPO’s norm-setting activities should be supportive of the development goals agreed within the UN system, including those contained ...
14 Jul, 2008: WIPO Enriched by In-Depth Discussion of Public Domain (KEI)
"With respect to the public domain, Richard Owens (WIPO Secretariat) noted that there is a fundamental question of definition that frames the policy debate on this issue. The classical definition of the public domain (in the copyright context) is “what is not protected by copyright, i.e. rights that have expired, works that have not been deemed worthy of protection, and ...
12 Jul, 2008: WIPO Development Committee Ends First Year On Mostly Agreeable Note (IP-Watch)
"While the 7 to 11 July meeting of the Committee on Development and IP (CDIP) did not make any profound changes in the operations of WIPO yet, discussions revealed some of the areas where change may be coming. And while there were moments of tension, the overall spirit of the meeting appeared more agreeable than meetings of the past years. ...
9 Jul, 2008: EFF Statement at WIPO Development Agenda Meeting in Geneva
"We support the call for WIPO to initiate discussions on how to facilitate access to knowledge and technology for developing countries and LDCs to foster creativity and innovation, and to facilitate IP-related aspects of ICT for growth and economic, social
and cultural development. It is essential that national and international copyright and patent laws provide an environment that is ...
8 Jul, 2008: Development Agenda discussions focus on costing of consultants and Business Analysts (KEI)
The second session of the the WIPO Committee on Development and Intellectual Property (CDIP) is meeting this week in Geneva (July 7-11, 2008). The first meeting of this development committee (March 2008) examined Cluster A (Technical Assistance and Capacity Building) of the 45 approved Development Agenda recommendations. ...
25 Mar, 2008: IP Justice White Paper on the Proposed Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA)
In 2007 a select handful of the wealthiest countries began a treaty-making process to create a new global standard for intellectual property rights enforcement, the proposed Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA). ACTA is spearheaded by the United States, the European Commission, Japan, and Switzerland -- those countries with the largest intellectual property industries. Other countries invited to participate in ...
25 Mar, 2008: IP Justice White Paper on the Proposed Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) 
Anti-Consumer and Anti-Public Interest Treaty Proposed by Intellectual Property Industry, US, Europe, Switzerland, and Japan
21 Mar, 2008: ACTA’s Misguided Effort to Increase Govt Spying and Ratchet-Up IPR Enforcement at Public Expense
IP Justice Comments to the U.S.T.R. on the proposed Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA). IP Justice firmly believes that ACTA’s costs to the public far outweigh any public benefit it might provide. The financial expense to tax-payers to fund ACTA would be enormous and steal scarce resources away from programs that deal with genuine public needs like providing education ...
- View all entries under World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)
15 Mar, 2008: WIPO Copyright Committee Considers Many Proposals for 2008 Work Program
WIPO Copyright Committee: One Step Forward, Two Steps Back
'Broadcast Treaty Chair' Remains, Limitations and Exceptions to Copyright Considered
(15 March 2008) The WIPO Copyright Committee (SCCR) met from 10-12 March 2008 in Geneva to debate the future work program for the committee after the Member States ...
12 Mar, 2008: WIPO Copyright Committee Done For Year; Exceptions And Limitations ‘Here To Stay’
"The World Intellectual Property Organization copyright committee on Wednesday concluded work until next November in a way similar to recent years, with the same chair, European dominance, no agreement, and division over a proposed treaty on broadcasters’ rights. But it also contained the elevation of a proposal to improve exceptions and limitations to copyright, and a proposal for four ...
11 Mar, 2008: WIPO Copyright Committee Begins New Era With Revised Agenda, Same Chair (IP-Watch)
The World Intellectual Property Organization copyright committee on Monday began a new era in the wake of a failed decade of negotiations for a broadcasters’ rights treaty. But it will tackle its new agenda including limitations and exceptions to copyright with the same chairman who guided the broadcasting talks with fervour. Finland’s Jukka Liedes was re-elected chairman of the ...
21 Feb, 2008: Council of Europe Lurches Forward to Create Broadcasters Rights
Council of Europe takes step to create the Broadcast Treaty that WIPO Member States rejected in 2007. Interestingly, CoE calls the rejection of the treaty at WIPO as "deadlock" rather than admitting that the only ones who wanted the treaty were a handful of European broadcasters and the treaty was REJECTED, not deadlocked.
19 Dec, 2007: Broadcast Treaty Resuscitated by the Council of Europe (EDRi)
Pending the approval of its Committee of Ministers, the Council of Europe will try to promote a new broadcasting international document, building on the failed convention for the protection of broadcasting signals of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). As WIPO's 184 members have failed in agreeing upon a text for the treaty and as the conference for a ...
10 Dec, 2007: Broadcast Treaty: Council of Europe Picks Up Where WIPO Left Off (IP-Watch)
The Council of Europe is deliberating on whether to negotiate a convention to protect broadcasters’ signals against piracy and thereby take up the issue from the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) where negotiations on a proposed broadcasting treaty came to a standstill earlier this year. The Council’s decision to proceed depends on approval by its Committee of Ministers. The ...
5 Nov, 2007: WIPO Committees Casting About For Future Work (IP-Watch)
WIPO enforcement committee last week heard from a series of intellectual property rights enforcers and others before attempting unsuccessfully to agree on the future work and moving to consultations till February. Meanwhile, separate consultations are continuing for a mandate for the WIPO copyright committee whose meeting has been postponed to next year.... WIPO Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights ...
28 Sep, 2007: Decision on the WIPO Broadcast Treat at 2007 General Assembly
"The General Assembly is invited to ... decide that the subject of broadcasting organizations and cablecasting organizations be retained on the agenda of the SCCR for its regular sessions and consider convening of a Diplomatic Conference only after agreement on objectives, specific scope and object of protection has been achieved.''
28 Sep, 2007: Notes on the Broadcasting Treaty from the 2007 WIPO General Assembly
"WIPO Deputy Director General Michael Keplingler introduced the background of the special sessions, following last year’s GA
“During the second special session it became clear that no dipcon could take place in 2007”
In the informal discussion it became evident that during the session it would not be possible to carry out the mandate of the GA
Several dels wanted ...
22 Jun, 2007: Broadcast Treaty will be dead for a long time
"Today member states of WIPO decided that there will be neither a diplomatic conference on the proposed Broadcast Treaty, nor any more Special Sessions of the Standing Committee on Copyrights and Related Rights (SCCR). Till the end the Chair Yukka Liedes and the WIPO Secretariat intensely tried to keep the process on a way, at last by proposing that ...
- View all entries under Broadcasting Treaty
9 Feb, 2009: ACTA, ISP Liability, Limitations & Exceptions Top Global Copyright Issues in 2009 (IP-Watch)
"The Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement has sparked an outcry from public interest groups. “The speed with which it has been rushed through - and the secrecy of the meetings and the provisions is alarming,” said IP Justice Executive Director Robin Gross. ACTA will make routine surveillance of laptops, iPods and other devices in the hope of finding questionable music, videos and ...
15 Mar, 2008: WIPO Copyright Committee Considers Many Proposals for 2008 Work Program
WIPO Copyright Committee: One Step Forward, Two Steps Back
'Broadcast Treaty Chair' Remains, Limitations and Exceptions to Copyright Considered
(15 March 2008) The WIPO Copyright Committee (SCCR) met from 10-12 March 2008 in Geneva to debate the future work program for the committee after the Member States ...
13 Mar, 2008: Text Adopted by WIPO Copyright Committee on Exceptions and Limitations
Brazil, Chile, Nicaragua and Uruguay presented a proposal which elaborated further the proposal by the delegation of Chile (SCCR/13/5). Many of the delegations who took the floor supported the proposal, in whole or in part. Other delegations expressed support or opposition to specific elements of document SCCR/13/5, which are reflected in their
interventions in the report of the meeting....
12 Mar, 2008: WIPO Copyright Committee Done For Year; Exceptions And Limitations ‘Here To Stay’
"The World Intellectual Property Organization copyright committee on Wednesday concluded work until next November in a way similar to recent years, with the same chair, European dominance, no agreement, and division over a proposed treaty on broadcasters’ rights. But it also contained the elevation of a proposal to improve exceptions and limitations to copyright, and a proposal for four ...
11 Mar, 2008: WIPO Copyright Committee Begins New Era With Revised Agenda, Same Chair (IP-Watch)
The World Intellectual Property Organization copyright committee on Monday began a new era in the wake of a failed decade of negotiations for a broadcasters’ rights treaty. But it will tackle its new agenda including limitations and exceptions to copyright with the same chairman who guided the broadcasting talks with fervour. Finland’s Jukka Liedes was re-elected chairman of the ...
11 Mar, 2008: New Proposal At WIPO For Exceptions and Limitations Agreement; US Unconvinced (IP-Watch)
"Several nations have joined Chile in presenting a new proposal for work on limitations and exceptions to this week’s meeting of the World Intellectual Property Organization copyright committee. The work would include establishing an international agreement on the issue. But the United States told the plenary on Tuesday that it is “not ready” for norm-setting activities on exceptions and ...
10 Mar, 2008: WIPO Member States Request Agenda for Copyright Exceptions and Limitations
A group of developing countries submitted a proposal for a work program for WIPO's Standing Committee on Copyrights and Related Rights (SCCR) on 10 March 2008. The new proposal from Brazil, Chile, Nicaragua and Uruguay, calls for work on three areas: identification from members’ national IP systems of models and practices on exceptions and limitations; analysis of exceptions and ...
6 Mar, 2008: “Conceiving an International Instrument on Limitations and Exceptions to Copyright” (Hugenholtz, Okediji / March 2008)
"The task of developing a global approach to limitations and exceptions (“L&E’s”) is
one of the major challenges facing the international copyright system today. As mechanisms of access, L&E’s contribute to the dissemination of knowledge, which in turn is essential for a variety of human activities and values, including liberty, the exercise of political power, and economic, social and personal advancement. ...
2 Mar, 2008: Education, IPRs and Fundamental Freedoms: The Right To Knowledge, 2005 (Suthersanen)
2 Mar, 2008: The International Copyright System: Limitations, Exceptions and Public Interest Considerations for Developing Countries in the Digital Environment (Okediji/ UNCTAD-ICTSD)
- View all entries under Copyright Limitations & Exceptions
19 Jun, 2010: Sign the International Civil Society Declaration on the Public Interest Concerns of the Proposed Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA)
Please consider endorsing the International Civil Society Declaration, which was the result of a meeting in Washington, DC (16-18 June 2010) of over 90 academics from 5 continents, public interest organizations and other legal experts concerned with the public interest aspects of ACTA. ACTA is a dangerous proposal to radically expand intellectual property rights at the global level. ...
14 Jul, 2008: WIPO Development Agenda committee deliberations on norm-setting, open source and creative commons (KEI)
"The WIPO Committee on Development and Intellectual Property (CDIP) had rich discussions on Thursday afternoon (July 10, 2008) on norm-setting, open source and creative commons as they related to recommendations 22 and 23 of the Development Agenda. Recommendation 22 states: WIPO’s norm-setting activities should be supportive of the development goals agreed within the UN system, including those contained ...
14 Jul, 2008: WIPO Enriched by In-Depth Discussion of Public Domain (KEI)
"With respect to the public domain, Richard Owens (WIPO Secretariat) noted that there is a fundamental question of definition that frames the policy debate on this issue. The classical definition of the public domain (in the copyright context) is “what is not protected by copyright, i.e. rights that have expired, works that have not been deemed worthy of protection, and ...
12 Jul, 2008: WIPO Development Committee Ends First Year On Mostly Agreeable Note (IP-Watch)
"While the 7 to 11 July meeting of the Committee on Development and IP (CDIP) did not make any profound changes in the operations of WIPO yet, discussions revealed some of the areas where change may be coming. And while there were moments of tension, the overall spirit of the meeting appeared more agreeable than meetings of the past years. ...
9 Jul, 2008: EFF Statement at WIPO Development Agenda Meeting in Geneva
"We support the call for WIPO to initiate discussions on how to facilitate access to knowledge and technology for developing countries and LDCs to foster creativity and innovation, and to facilitate IP-related aspects of ICT for growth and economic, social
and cultural development. It is essential that national and international copyright and patent laws provide an environment that is ...
8 Jul, 2008: Development Agenda discussions focus on costing of consultants and Business Analysts (KEI)
The second session of the the WIPO Committee on Development and Intellectual Property (CDIP) is meeting this week in Geneva (July 7-11, 2008). The first meeting of this development committee (March 2008) examined Cluster A (Technical Assistance and Capacity Building) of the 45 approved Development Agenda recommendations. ...
21 Mar, 2008: ACTA’s Misguided Effort to Increase Govt Spying and Ratchet-Up IPR Enforcement at Public Expense
IP Justice Comments to the U.S.T.R. on the proposed Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA). IP Justice firmly believes that ACTA’s costs to the public far outweigh any public benefit it might provide. The financial expense to tax-payers to fund ACTA would be enormous and steal scarce resources away from programs that deal with genuine public needs like providing education ...
20 Mar, 2008: “UNESCO Policy Guidelines on the Development and Promotion of Governmental Public Domain Information” (Paul Uhlir) 2004
15 Mar, 2008: 7-11 July 2008: WIPO Development Agenda Meeting: Committee Development and Intellectual Property (CDIP) (2nd session)
The WIPO 2nd session of the Committee on Development and Intellectual Property (CDIP) will meet in Geneva from 7-11 July 2008.
4 Mar, 2008: WIPO: Discussion begins on implementing the Development Agenda (SUNS)
"Discussion on defining a work programme for implementation of the 45 adopted recommendations on the WIPO Development Agenda began on Monday in the newly-established WIPO Committee on Development and Intellectual Property (CDIP). Much of the first day of the CDIP was spent discussing procedural issues such as the adoption of the rules of procedure of the committee and how ...
- View all entries under Development Agenda
14 Jul, 2008: WIPO Development Agenda committee deliberations on norm-setting, open source and creative commons (KEI)
"The WIPO Committee on Development and Intellectual Property (CDIP) had rich discussions on Thursday afternoon (July 10, 2008) on norm-setting, open source and creative commons as they related to recommendations 22 and 23 of the Development Agenda. Recommendation 22 states: WIPO’s norm-setting activities should be supportive of the development goals agreed within the UN system, including those contained ...
14 Jul, 2008: WIPO Enriched by In-Depth Discussion of Public Domain (KEI)
"With respect to the public domain, Richard Owens (WIPO Secretariat) noted that there is a fundamental question of definition that frames the policy debate on this issue. The classical definition of the public domain (in the copyright context) is “what is not protected by copyright, i.e. rights that have expired, works that have not been deemed worthy of protection, and ...
15 Mar, 2008: WIPO Copyright Committee Considers Many Proposals for 2008 Work Program
WIPO Copyright Committee: One Step Forward, Two Steps Back
'Broadcast Treaty Chair' Remains, Limitations and Exceptions to Copyright Considered
(15 March 2008) The WIPO Copyright Committee (SCCR) met from 10-12 March 2008 in Geneva to debate the future work program for the committee after the Member States ...
4 Mar, 2008: WIPO: Discussion begins on implementing the Development Agenda (SUNS)
"Discussion on defining a work programme for implementation of the 45 adopted recommendations on the WIPO Development Agenda began on Monday in the newly-established WIPO Committee on Development and Intellectual Property (CDIP). Much of the first day of the CDIP was spent discussing procedural issues such as the adoption of the rules of procedure of the committee and how ...
21 Dec, 2007: 2008 Brings Prospect of New WIPO Leader, Budget Agreement (IP-Watch)
"Informal discussions with diplomatic sources in Geneva revealed seemingly more than a dozen possible names of [WIPO Director General] candidates at least, though none have been officially presented and none were confirmed with the governments themselves. Some countries had more than one name circulating. This list is not intended to be official nor comprehensive. The preliminary list includes ...
19 Dec, 2007: Broadcast Treaty Resuscitated by the Council of Europe (EDRi)
Pending the approval of its Committee of Ministers, the Council of Europe will try to promote a new broadcasting international document, building on the failed convention for the protection of broadcasting signals of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). As WIPO's 184 members have failed in agreeing upon a text for the treaty and as the conference for a ...
5 Nov, 2007: WIPO Committees Casting About For Future Work (IP-Watch)
WIPO enforcement committee last week heard from a series of intellectual property rights enforcers and others before attempting unsuccessfully to agree on the future work and moving to consultations till February. Meanwhile, separate consultations are continuing for a mandate for the WIPO copyright committee whose meeting has been postponed to next year.... WIPO Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights ...
22 Oct, 2007: Developing Countries Get Perspective On IP And Enforce (IP-Watch)
There is more to the story of enforcing intellectual property rights than one typically reads in the media, and developing country governments should defend themselves against unfair enforcement practices, officials and activists said recently. Speakers gave their views at a 9 October event of the intergovernmental South Centre entitled, Examining IP Enforcement from a Development Perspective...
29 Sep, 2007: WIPO Launches New Agenda on IP and Development (IP-Watch)
"The member governments of the World Intellectual Property Organization on Friday formally adopted a new Development Agenda, launching an enhanced development orientation across all of its activities, with details on implementation to be determined later. “This is an important day,” Argentina Ambassador Alberto Dumont told a press briefing. “Our group is very pleased with the result that was achieved.” But ...
28 Sep, 2007: Decision on the WIPO Broadcast Treat at 2007 General Assembly
"The General Assembly is invited to ... decide that the subject of broadcasting organizations and cablecasting organizations be retained on the agenda of the SCCR for its regular sessions and consider convening of a Diplomatic Conference only after agreement on objectives, specific scope and object of protection has been achieved.''
- View all entries under WIPO News
