Original news and analysis on international IP policy
Progress on mainstreaming a development dimension into all World Intellectual Property Organization activities and its assessment by a dedicated committee has been called into question by developing countries concerned that the mandatory effort has slipped in importance.
This week, US Ambassador to the UN Betty King told Intellectual Property Watch that WIPO is still out of balance – against intellectual property rights holders.
Agenda items appeared to move swiftly in the first days of this week’s World Intellectual Property Organization annual assembly, but tricky issues are being left for later and actively discussed in informal consultations. Examples of ongoing discussions are the programme and budget discussion, governance of the organisation, and the definition of development expenditures under the budget.
Member governments of the UN World Intellectual Property Organization today approved 15 new observers to the organisation, including three international organisations, and a range of nongovernmental organisations such as two significant public health-oriented groups. But two groups were rejected, including the high-profile Pirate Parties International. Separately, the member governments of the important WIPO Program and Budget Committee were also announced today.
In the context of a parallel event to the World Intellectual Property Organization annual General Assemblies, innovators from developed and developing countries shared their thoughts on how to foster a creative environment that encourages ground-breaking innovations.
The World Intellectual Property Organization annual General Assembly opened today with an unusual number of issues for delegates to solve, in particular those inherited from the committee in charge of approving the budget and the programmes of the organisation earlier in the month. Among pressing issues are WIPO external offices and decisions to be made on potential treaties such as on industrial designs, the protection of broadcasting organisations, and the protection of genetic resources and traditional knowledge.
Several negotiators and other stakeholders participating in last June’s successful negotiation of an international treaty to ease access to reading material for blind and visually impaired people recently gathered in Washington, DC to look back on the remarkable and at-times bitter talks. Months later, not all agree on certain historical details, such as the US position, but all agree it was a significant accomplishment.
A handful of influential members of the United States Congress have sent a letter to US Secretary of State John Kerry, urging the Obama administration not to support the re-election of World Intellectual Property Organization Director General Francis Gurry.
World Intellectual Property Organization delegates last week stumbled on a number of issues while discussing the programme and budget of the organisation, leaving to the annual WIPO General Assembly convening next week the task of breaching differences. Particular issues included proposed new WIPO external offices, the programme on small and medium-sized enterprises and innovation, and development expenditure.
In-depth discussions and revisions of programmes did not speed up the decision-taking of World Intellectual Property Organization delegates trying to approve the programmes and budget of the organisation this week. Heading into the final day, consensus was elusive on some items such as the establishment of external offices, or a reporting mechanism for the programme on intellectual property and global challenges.
The proposed establishment of new World Intellectual Property Organization external offices gave way to a lot of discussion today (11 September) in the WIPO committee overseeing programmes and budget. Other targets of debate: small and medium-sized enterprises, accountability for the WIPO Global Issues Division, implementation of the Marrakesh Treaty on copyright exceptions for the blind, and potential treaty negotiations in the next biennium - all with no decisions yet.
Country delegates at the World Intellectual Property Organization this week have started ploughing through the extensive agenda of the committee overseeing the budget and the programmes of the organisation. They are struggling to find agreement on agenda items and are deferring decisions for later in the week. Meanwhile, the WIPO director general presented the proposed budget and reaffirmed the importance of development.