World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)
The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) is one of the 15 specialized agencies of the United Nations (UN). In accordance with the 1967 Convention establishing the World Intellectual Property Organization, WIPO was created to promote and protect intellectual property (IP) worldwide by cooperating with countries and international organizations. It began operating on April 26, 1970, when the convention came into force, a day which is celebrated globally as World Intellectual Property Day.
WIPO's activities include hosting forums to discuss and shape international IP rules and policies, providing global services for registering and protecting IP in various countries, resolving cross-border IP disputes, helping connect IP systems through standards and uniform infrastructure, and serving as a general reference database for all IP matters. This includes providing reports and statistics on the status of IP protection or innovation worldwide and in specific countries. WIPO also works with governments, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and individuals to use IP for socio-economic development.
WIPO administers 26 international treaties covering a wide range of IP issues, from the protection of broadcasts to the establishment of the international patent classification. It is governed by the General Assembly and the Coordination Committee, which together define policies and serve as the main decision-making bodies.
The General Assembly also elects the chief administrator of WIPO, the Director General, currently Francis Gurry from Australia, who assumed office on October 1, 2008, and was reappointed in May 2014 for a second six-year term. WIPO is managed by a secretariat that assists in carrying out its daily 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, as well as the Cook Islands, the Holy See, and Niue; Palestine has observer status. The only non-members are the Federated States of Micronesia, Palau, and South Sudan.
The Republic of Albania has been a member state of WIPO since 1993.
EUROPEAN PATENT OFFICE (EPO)
The European Patent Organization is an intergovernmental organization established on October 7, 1977, based on 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 Organization, offers inventors a unified application procedure that allows them to seek patent protection in up to 44 countries. The Office is overseen by the Administrative Council.
The Administrative Council acts as the supervisory body of the Office and is composed of representatives from the member states of the Organization.
The European Patent Organization currently has 38 member states. Furthermore, European patents are recognized in two extension states and four validation states.
Decisions of the European Patent Office can be appealed to its boards of appeal. Although integrated into its organizational structure, the boards of appeal are independent from the Office in their decisions and are only bound by the European Patent Convention.
EUROPEAN UNION INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY OFFICE (EUIPO)
The European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO), established in 1994, is the European Union agency responsible for the registration of the European Union Trade Mark (EUTM) and the Registered Community Design (RCD), two unitary intellectual property rights valid in all 27 EU Member States. Each year, it registers an average of 135,000 EU trade marks and nearly 100,000 designs. EUIPO is also responsible for maintaining a Register of Orphan Works. Registered works have several permitted actions under the Orphan Works Directive.
EUIPO is located in Alicante, on the southeastern coast of Spain, and has five working languages in the Office – English, French, German, Italian, and Spanish. The Office also processes applications for trade marks and industrial designs in 23 official languages of the EU.
EUIPO was previously known as the Office for Harmonization in the Internal Market (OHIM). OHIM underwent several reforms, and the Office, along with some positions and its governing board, were renamed to reflect these changes. Since March 2016, OHIM has been known by its current name.
The head of the agency was changed from President to Executive Director.