WORLD INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY ORGANIZATION (WIPO)

The World Intellectual Property Organization is one of the 15 specialized agencies of the United Nations (UN). Pursuant to the 1967 Convention Establishing the World Intellectual Property Organization, WIPO was created to promote and protect intellectual property (IP) across the world by cooperating with countries as well as international organizations. It began operations on 26 April 970, when the convention entered into force, a day which is celebrated worldwide as World Intellectual Property Day.

WIPO’s activities including hosting forums to discuss and shape international IP rules and policies, providing global services that register and protect IPs in different countries, resolving transboundary IP disputes, helping connect IP systems through uniform standards and infrastructure, and serving as a general reference database on all IP issues; this includes providing reports and statistics on the state of IP protection or innovation both globally and in specific countries. WIPO also works with governments, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and individuals to utilize IP for socioeconomic development.

WIPO administers 26 international treaties that concern a wide variety of IP issues, ranging from the protection of broadcasts to establishing international patent classification. It is governed by the General Assembly and the Coordination Committee, which together set policy and serve as the main decision making bodies.

The General Assembly also elects WIPO’s Chief Administrator, the Director-General, currently Francis Gurry from Australia, who took office on 1 October 2008 and was reappointed in May 2014 for a second six-year term. WIPO is administered by a secretariat that helps in carrying out its day-to-day activities.

Headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, WIPO has "external offices" around the world, including in Algiers, Algeria; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Beijing, China, Tokyo, Japan; Moscow, Russia; and Singapore. Unlike most UN organizations, WIPO does not rely heavily on assessed or voluntary contributions from member states; 95 percent of its budget comes from fees related to its global services.

WIPO currently has 193 member states, including 190 UN member states and the Cook Islands, Holy See and Niue; Palestine has permanent observer status. The only non-members are the Federated States of Micronesia, Palau and South Sudan.

The Republic of Albania is a member state of WIPO since 1993.

For more information, you can click on the link www.wipo.int

 

EUROPEAN PATENT ORGANIZATION (EPO)

The European Patent Organization is an intergovernmental organization established on 7 October 1977 under the European Patent Convention (EPC) signed in Munich in 1973. It has two bodies, the European Patent Office and the Administrative Council

The European Patent Office, the executive arm of the European Patent Office, offers inventors a uniform application procedure which enables them to seek patent protection in up to 44 countries. The office is supervised by the Administrative Council.

The Administrative Council acts as the Office’s oversight body and is composed of representatives of the Organization’s member States.

The European Patent Organization currently has 38 member states. Additionally, European patents are recognized in two European countries and four valid states.

Decisions of the European Patent Office can be appealed to its boards of appeal. Though integrated into its organizational structure, the boards of appeal are independent of the Office in their decisions and are bound only by the European Patent Convention.

For more information you can click on the link: www.epo.org

 

EUROPEAN UNION OF INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY (EUIPO)

The European Union Intellectual Property Office, established in 1994, is the European Union Agency responsible for the registration of the European Union Trademark (EUTM) and the registered Community Model (RCD), two unitary intellectual property rights valid in all 27 EU Member States Each year, it registers an average of 135,000 EU trademarks and nearly to 100,000 models. EUIPO is also responsible for maintaining an Orphan Works Register. Registered works have some permissible actions under the Orphan Works Directive.

EUIPO is located in Alicante, on the south-east coast of Spain, and has five working languages in the Office - English, French, German, Italian and Spanish. The Office also processes trademark and industrial design applications in 23 official EU languages.

EUIPO was formerly known as Office for Harmonization in the Internal Market (OHIM). OHIM underwent several reforms and the Office, as well as several positions and the board were reappointed to reflect these changes. As of March 2016, OHIM is known by its current name.

The head of the agency was changed from President to Executive Director.

For more information you can click on the link: https://euipo.europa.eu/ohimportal/en