World Intellectual Property Organization ("WIPO")

4   April 2017

 The World Intellectual Property Organization ("WIPO") is the specialist United Nations Agency for intellectual property. It was established by art 1 of the WIPO Convention, "to promote the protection of intellectual property throughout the world through cooperation among States and, where appropriate, in collaboration with any other international organization".

The WIPO is required by art 4 to:
  • promote the development of measures designed to facilitate the efficient protection of intellectual property throughout the world and to harmonize national legislation in this field;
  • perform the administrative tasks of the Paris Union, the Special Unions established in relation with that Union, and the Berne Union and may agree to assume, or participate in, the administration of any other international agreement designed to promote the protection of intellectual property;
  • encourage the conclusion of international agreements designed to promote the protection of intellectual property;
  • offer its cooperation to States requesting legal-technical assistance in the field of intellectual property;
  • assemble and disseminate information concerning the protection of intellectual property, carry out and promote studies in this field, and publish the results of such studies;
  • maintain services facilitating the international protection of intellectual property and, where appropriate, provide for registration in this field and the publication of the data concerning the registrations; and 
  • shall take all other appropriate action.
In addition to those functions, the WIPO facilitates the registration of patents, trade marks and designs in many countries from a single filing in accordance with the Patent Cooperation Treaty, Madrid Protocol and Hague Agreement.  It also offers arbitration, mediation and other alternative dispute resolution services including expert determination of disputes between domain name registrants and owners of trade marks and other intellectual property rights.

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