Fire At WIPO Premises Forces Two-Day Shutdown

By Catherine Saez

An unusual sight met passers-by at the World Intellectual Property Organization around lunchtime today. The street was crowded with several fire trucks and yellow security tape kept people away from the entrance to the main building. A number of WIPO staff were outside waiting to know if they could go back to their work stations after a fire started in the WIPO basement around 11:30, according to a security source. According to another source on the site, the fire was rapidly under control but smoke had spread and the electricity was down.

As a result, the WIPO main building will be closed until Monday, and the WIPO website only shows a message stating that: “certain WIPO services will be unavailable until Monday, October 31.”

According to the message, “for the purposes of WIPO’s registration services, (PCT, Madrid System, Hague System, Arbitration and Mediation Center), WIPO is closed for business on October 27 and 28.” Patent Cooperation Treaty publications were available on a separate website.

The Standing Committee on the Law of Trademarks, Industrial Designs and Geographical Indications (SCT), which was taking place this week and due to end on 28 October, was suspended until an unspecified date.