World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)

A self-funding agency of the United Nations, WIPO is a global forum for intellectual property (IP) services, policy, information, and cooperation, having 193 member states, about 250 non-governmental organisations (NGOs), and inter-governmental organisations (IGOs), having the status of an official observer at WIPO meetings.

• Governments, inter-governmental organisations, industry groups and civil society come together at this global policy forum, known as the WIPO, to address evolving intellectual property (IP) issues
• Headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, it was established in 1967 with its mandate governing bodies and procedures defined in the WIPO Convention where it came into being. Various agendas on which the organisation works are related to a balanced and effective international IP system that enables innovation and creativity for the benefit of all

A Brief History of WIPO

• WIPO: A Brief History –  has It had a wonderful but interesting history since its conception. Among some key milestones that WIPO has attained  in its history are as follows:

• 1883 –  Paris Convention.

Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property or popularly known as the Paris Convention is the first international and trademark step taken to help creators in ensuring that their intellectual works are protected in extraterritorial jurisdictions.

• 1886 – Berne Convention

Protection of Literary and Artistic Works concurred after a mission of activism by a French author Victor Hugo which is prevalently known as the Berne Convention. Giving makers the option to get an instalment for their protected innovation and to control their imaginative deals with a global stage frames the principal objective of the Convention. Works secured under the Berne Convention include:

• novels, short stories, poems, plays,
• Songs, operas, musicals, sonatas,
• drawings, paintings, sculptures, and architectural works.

• 1891 – Madrid Agreement: 

The first International IP filing service was launched, known as the Madrid System, for International Registration of Marks with the adoption of the Madrid Agreement.

• 1893 – BIRPI Established

The United International Bureaux for the Protection of Intellectual Property (BIPRI) came into being, establishing two Secretariats to administer and implement Paris and Berne Conventions.

• 1970 – BIRPI became WIPO when the convention establishing the organisation came into force. Headquartered in Geneva Switzerland, WIPO became an intergovernmental organisation that was member state-led
• 1974 – WIPO joins the UN as a specialised agency focusing on the Intellectual Property Regime. Though it’s not obligatory for member states of the UN, they are entitled to take up membership of the specialised agencies
• 1994 – To offer alternative dispute resolution services and to help and solve and arbitrate international commercial disputes related to Intellectual Property between private parties, the WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Centre was established
• 2007 – WIPO Development Agenda aimed to ensure that IP related developmental issues are considered within the organisation’s framework. It was formally adopted

Functions

• For a world in flux, a policy forum to develop international intellectual property (IP) regulations that are both fair and flexible is needed
• Global services for IP protection and dispute resolution beyond national borders
• Infrastructure for interoperability of IP systems and the exchange of information
• Development projects that help all countries exploit intellectual property (IP) to their advantage
• a trusted global authority on intellectual property (IP) issues

Treaties

• WIPO Performance and Phonograms Treaty

It focuses on the digital rights of two different types of beneficiaries: performers and phonogram makers.  Performers include musical artists, dancers, actors, etc.) while phonogram makers are producers who finance sound recordings. India has acceded to this treaty in 2018. 

• Budapest Treaty

The Budapest Treaty, which came into effect in 1977, focuses on one specific area of international patent law: microorganisms. Regardless of where the depository authority is located, all states that are signatories to the Treaty are required to recognise microorganisms deposited as part of the patent procedure.

By this, the obligation of submitting organisms to each and every national authority in search of patent protection is gone. 

India has not signed this treaty. 

• Madrid Protocol for the International Registration of Marks

In order to register a trademark in many countries, the Madrid Protocol, or Madrid system, is the principal worldwide mechanism for facilitating the process. India acceded to this protocol in 2013. 

• Marrakesh Treaty

It is now easier to create and distribute accessible books for individuals who are blind or visually impaired, because of the Marrakesh Treaty, which is governed by the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO). Traditional copyright law is limited and exempted by a number of restrictions and exceptions. Marrakesh went into force on September 30, 2016.India was the first member to ratify the Marrakesh Treaty in 2014. 

• WIPO Copyright Treaty

To ensure that digital works and their authors’ rights are adequately protected, the WIPO Copyright Treaty (WCT) was created. Economic rights are conferred in addition to those recognised by the Berne Convention. Computer programmes, regardless of their mode or form of expression, and compilations of data or other material are both protected by copyright in the Treaty (“databases”). India has acceded to this treaty in 2018. 

Conclusion

In the form and structure that it is known today, the WIPO displays the history and modifications that were necessary to arrive at this point. It all began with the Paris Convention in 1883. Growing from a concept to becoming an advocate for gender equality at the United Nations is an example of an organization’s evolution, and that evolution owes a great deal to its inclusion in the UN in 1974.