TOPIC: INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATIONS

CONCERNED WITH WIPO AND WTO

AM-IV-TRADE IN IPR

• BY: DR. KANAN DIVETIA

• SYMBIOSIS LAW SCHOOL, NOIDA
 WIPO
(HTTPS://WWW.WIPO.INT/ABOUT-WIPO/EN/)
• WIPO IS THE GLOBAL FORUM FOR INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY SERVICES,
POLICY, INFORMATION AND CO-OPERATION. THEY ARE A SELF-FUNDING
AGENCY OF THE UNITED NATIONS, WITH 193 MEMBER STATES.
• THEIR MISSION IS TO LEAD THE DEVELOPMENT OF A BALANCED AND
EFFECTIVE INTERNATIONAL IP SYSTEM THAT ENABLES INNOVATION AND
CREATIVITY FOR THE BENEFIT OF ALL. THEIR MANDATE, GOVERNING
BODIES AND PROCEDURES ARE SET OUT IN THE WIPO CONVENTION, WHICH
ESTABLISHED WIPO IN 1967.
• THEIR HEADQUARTER IS IN GENEVA, SWITZERLAND.
 WIPO- A BRIEF HISTORY

•1893- BIRPI WAS ESTABLISHED.

LAYING THE FOUNDATION STONE OF THE BIRPI BUILDING. (PHOTO: WIPO FLICKR)

 WIPO- A BRIEF HISTORY
• 1970 – BIRPI BECOMES WIPO

• THE 13-STOREY WIPO BUILDING (ARPAD BOGSCH BUILDING) IN GENEVA,

SWITZERLAND. PHOTO: WIPO FLICKR)
 WIPO- A BRIEF HISTORY

• 1974 – WIPO JOINS THE UN

• 1978 – PCT SYSTEM LAUNCHED
• 1994 – THE WIPO ARBITRATION AND CONCILIATION CENTRE WAS
ESTABLISHED
• 1998 – WIPO ACADEMY OPENS ITS DOORS
• 2007 – WIPO DEVELOPMENT AGENDA ADOPTED
 WORLD TRADE ORGANISATION
HTTPS://WWW.WTO.ORG/ENGLISH/THEWTO_E/THEWTO_E.HTM

• THE WTO
• THE WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION (WTO) IS THE ONLY GLOBAL INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATION DEALING
WITH THE RULES OF TRADE BETWEEN NATIONS. AT ITS HEART ARE THE WTO AGREEMENTS, NEGOTIATED AND
SIGNED BY THE BULK OF THE WORLD’S TRADING NATIONS AND RATIFIED IN THEIR PARLIAMENTS. THE GOAL
IS TO ENSURE THAT TRADE FLOWS AS SMOOTHLY, PREDICTABLY AND FREELY AS POSSIBLE.
• THE WTO HAS MANY ROLES: IT OPERATES A GLOBAL SYSTEM OF TRADE RULES, IT ACTS AS A FORUM FOR
NEGOTIATING TRADE AGREEMENTS, IT SETTLES TRADE DISPUTES BETWEEN ITS MEMBERS AND IT SUPPORTS
THE NEEDS OF DEVELOPING COUNTRIES.
• NUMBER OF SIMPLE, FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES FORM THE FOUNDATION OF THE MULTILATERAL TRADING
SYSTEM.
 
• THE PRIMARY PURPOSE OF THE WTO IS TO OPEN TRADE FOR THE BENEFIT OF ALL.
 WTO-WIPO
• THE LINK BETWEEN THE WTO AND THE WORLD INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
ORGANIZATION (WIPO) IS DEEPLY ROOTED IN THE MULTILATERAL TRADING SYSTEM.
DURING THE URUGUAY ROUND, NEGOTIATORS SOUGHT TO CONNECT THE TWO
INSTITUTIONS. THE PREAMBLE TO THE TRIPS AGREEMENT ENCAPSULATES THIS
CONNECTION BY CALLING ON THE TWO ORGANIZATIONS TO ESTABLISH A MUTUALLY
SUPPORTIVE RELATIONSHIP. FURTHER, THE TRIPS AGREEMENT LEGALLY REQUIRES
MEMBERS TO ABIDE BY CERTAIN RULES OF KEY CONVENTIONS ADMINISTERED BY WIPO
• 1995-WIPO-WTO COOPERATION AGREEMENT
 THE COMPLEMENTARITY  BETWEEN THE TWO ORGANIZATIONS WAS FURTHER
STRENGTHENED BY THE WIPO-WTO COOPERATION AGREEMENT. THE AGREEMENT
COVERS TRANSPARENCY MECHANISMS, TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND TRAINING AND
THE IMPLEMENTATION OF A PROVISION OF WIPO’S PARIS CONVENTION ON STATE
EMBLEMS.
 WTO-WIPO
• JOINT TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE:
• JOINT TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND TRAINING ACTIVITIES, BASED, INTER ALIA,
ON THE JOINT INITIATIVES OF 1998 AND 2001, AIM TO BUILD THE CAPACITY OF
DEVELOPING COUNTRIES AND LDCS IN IMPLEMENTING THE TRIPS AGREEMENT,
TO ENHANCE AN UNDERSTANDING AND PARTICIPATION IN THE GLOBAL IP
SYSTEM AND TO HELP FOSTER IP LAW AND POLICY DECISION-MAKING THAT
COHERES WITH BROADER PUBLIC POLICY OBJECTIVES.
•THANK YOU