WIPO
World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations. It is dedicated to developing a balanced and accessible international intellectual property system. WIPO was established in 1967. There are approximately 180 member states. WIPO's headquarters are located in Geneva, Switzerland.
WIPO's strategic direction and activities are determined by its member states. The member state's representatives meet in assemblies, committees and working groups. The WIPO Secretariat coordinates formal and informal meetings of the member state bodies throughout the year.
Selected currently important discussions
Working group under the Madrid Protocol
The working group is working towards a unification of the systems under the Madrid agreement and the Madrid protocol respectively. The aim is to have one system only, namely the Protocol system. We strongly support the efforts made to harmonize the Madrid system. We believe that a simplification of the system will be of vital interest to the users on a global scale.
Standing Committee on the Law of Patents (SPC)
The committee works on harmonizing the patent law in WIPO's member states. Harmonization of the formality requirements for patent applications was achieved through the Patent Law Treaty. The work now focuses on harmonization of the substantial requirements. The committee's meetings have been suspended for some years due to lack of practical progress, but the meetings were resumed in June 2008. In order to sustain momentum of the important work on substantial patent harmonization Denmark has taken a leadership role in the B+ Working Group. You can read more about the B+ Working Group here.
Questions
If you have any questions to this text or to our work at WIPO in general, you are welcome to contact us. If your question concerns patents, please contact either Flemming Konig Mejl or Barbara Suhr-Jessen. If your question concerns trademarks or designs, please contact Anja Bech Hornecker.
Last update: 29 July 2008
Contact us
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For more general questions you can also get in touch with us on +45 43 50 83 01 or via mail on pvs@dkpto.dk
