World Intellectual Property Day

__NOTOC__World Intellectual Property Day is observed annually on April 26. WIPO web site, [http://www.wipo.int/about-ip/en/world_ip/background.html "World Intellectual Property Day - April 26"] . Consulted on May 4, 2005. ] The event was established by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) in 2001 to "raise awareness of the role of intellectual property in our daily lives, and to celebrate the contribution made by innovators and artists to the development of societies across the globe". April 26 was chosen as this was the date on which the Convention Establishing the World Intellectual Property Organization entered into force in 1970.

Each year, a message or theme is associated with the event:
*2001 - "Creating the Future Today"
*2002 - "Encouraging Creativity"
*2003 - "Make Intellectual Property Your Business"
*2004 - "Encouraging Creativity"
*2005 - "Think, Imagine, Create"
*2006 - "It Starts With An Idea"
*2007 - "Encouraging Creativity"
*2008 - "Celebrating innovation and promoting respect for intellectual property" [ UK Intellectual Property Office (UKIPO) web site, [http://www.ipo.gov.uk/about/about-ourorg/about-contact/events/events-ipday.htm "World Intellectual Property Day, 26 April 2008, Celebrating innovation and promoting respect for intellectual property"] , Events, World IP Day. Consulted on March 27, 2008. ]

History

Following a statement made at the Assembly of the Member States of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) in September 1998, the Director General of the National Algerian Institute for Industrial Property (INAPI) proposed on April 7, 1999 the institutionalisation of an international day for intellectual property, with the aim of :" [setting up] a framework for broader mobilization and awareness, [opening up] access to the promotional aspect of innovation and [recognizing] the achievements of promoters of intellectual property throughout the world." [ Letter of April 7, 1999 from Amor Bouhnik, Director General of the National Algerian Institute for Industrial Property, to the Director General of WIPO (Ref: 027 DG/MS/99) in World Intellectual Property Organization web site, [http://www.wipo.int/documents/en/document/govbody/wo_gb_ga/ga24_7.htm "WIPO General Assembly, Twenty-Fourth (14th Ordinary) Session, Geneva, September 20 to 29, 1999, Institutionalization of an International Day for Intellectual Property. Proposal by the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria"] , WO/GA/24/7, August 10, 1999. ]

On August 9, 1999, the Chinese delegation to the WIPO proposed the adoption of the "World Intellectual Property Day":"in order to further promote the awareness of intellectual property protection, expand the influence of intellectual property protection across the world, urge countries to publicize and popularize intellectual property protection laws and regulations, enhance the public legal awareness of intellectual property rights, encourage invention-innovation activities in various countries and strengthen international exchange in the intellectual property field". [ Letter dated August 9, 1999 from Jiang Ying, Commissioner of the State Intellectual Property Office of the People's Republic of China, to Dr. Kamil Idris, Director General of World Intellectual Property Organization, Geneva, Switzerland, in World Intellectual Property Organization web site, [http://www.wipo.int/documents/en/document/govbody/wo_gb_ga/ga24_8.htm "WIPO General Assembly, Twenty-Fourth (14th Ordinary) Session, Geneva, September 20 to 29, 1999, Institutionalization of a World Intellectual Property Day. Proposal by the People's Republic of China"] , August 20, 1999. ]

In October 1999, the General Assembly of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) approved the idea of declaring a particular day as a World Intellectual Property Day. [ World Intellectual Property Organization, [http://www.wipo.int/documents/en/document/govbody/wo_gb_ga/doc/ga26_2.doc "WIPO General Assembly, Twenty-Sixth (12th Extraordinary) Session, Geneva, September 25 to October 3, 2000, Memorandum of the Director General"] , WO/GA/26/2, July 26, 2000. ]

References

See also

* Inventor's Day

External links

* [http://www.wipo.int/ip-outreach/en/ipday/ World Intellectual Property Day] at the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)
** Web page per year: [http://www.wipo.int/about-ip/en/world_ip/2001/world_ip.html 2001] · [http://www.wipo.int/about-ip/en/world_ip/2002/index.html 2002] · [http://www.wipo.int/about-ip/en/world_ip/2003/index.html 2003] · [http://www.wipo.int/about-ip/en/world_ip/2004/index.html 2004] · [http://www.wipo.int/about-ip/en/world_ip/2005/ 2005] · [http://www.wipo.int/about-ip/en/world_ip/2006/ 2006] · [http://www.wipo.int/about-ip/en/world_ip/2007/ 2007] · [http://www.wipo.int/ip-outreach/en/ipday/2008/ 2008]
* [http://patentinfo.european-patent-office.org/events/world_ip_day/index.en.php The EPO and the World Intellectual Property Day] on the European Patent Office web site.
* [http://www.cipro.co.za World Intellectual Property Day on the South African Company Intellectual Property Registration Office] (CIPRO) web site.
* [http://strategis.ic.gc.ca/sc_mrksv/cipo/events/ip_day-e.html World Intellectual Property Day] on the Canadian Intellectual Property Office (CIPO) web site.
* [http://www.out-law.com/page-6869 Heroes and villains of World Intellectual Property Day] on Out-Law.com