Opening Remarks

WIPO International Symposium
on Intellectual Property (IP) Education and Research

Yo Takagi, Executive Director, WIPO

It is a great pleasure for me to welcome all of you to this International Symposium on Intellectual Property (IP) Education and Research.

This is the first International Symposium organized by WIPO focussing on intellectual property education and research. We are delighted to see a large participation in this first event.

IP education and research are relatively new areas to the international community and academic institutions. In the past, intellectual property was generally limited to the field of law and handled by specialists and corporate lawyers. Recently, however, the impact of intellectual property has become so crucial that its multiple dimensions are important to all aspects of our daily life including economic, cultural and social aspects of the nation and the world.

WIPO is pleased to organize this Symposium at the moment when national and international debate on intellectual property policies has become active. The discussions involve not only policy makers and government officials but also academic institutions, civil society and the general public.

Intellectual property has been increasingly recognized as an effective tool for development and the creation of wealth. However, if the intellectual property system does not create intellectual property rights and assets which are actually used and transacted, its contribution to society is limited. This is why we need more people who can assist and promote the creation, protection and utilization of IP.

In many countries, there is a strong demand for human resources in the area of intellectual property. There is a need for more IP practitioners and policy advisors who understand the multiple dimensions and implications of intellectual property. The importance of capacity building has been emphasized in many areas in the context of development and the United Nations Millennium Development Goals. However, intellectual property education and research have not received enough political attention.

IP policies and IP assets management have become more sophisticated and complex, because they need to be crafted to meet various needs and to accommodate different interests. An appropriate balance between incentives to rightholders of IP, and public policy objectives, is necessary. In the field of science and technology policy, for example, this balance gives rise to a question as to how the results of scientific research funded by the government should be commercially exploited by the private sector through IP licensing. The collaboration between universities and industry is not a new issue, but relevant IP policy and management require further study and discussions.

We also have new challenges arising from high technologies such as biotechnology and information and communications technologies including the Internet. The IP system needs to catch up with the rapid changes in technologies and to reflect the way people are using products which contain knowledge and information. It is not surprising that the national debate on IP issues in certain countries has resulted in public hearings organized by the supreme court.

If we look at this from a global perspective, IP has been progressively used as a tool to provide a framework within which many players can work internationally. They are investors, scientists, private firms, international organizations and NGOs from different countries. They can work together towards common goals of enhancing innovation and creativity. Some 20 global public and private partnerships for developing new drugs and vaccines are good examples. Various models of IP assets management in these public and private partnerships provide us with good opportunities to explore the emerging role of IP in the global context.

Against the backdrop of these emerging needs, the Symposium is expected to discuss a number of issues arising in the area of IP education and research.

Before our panelists discuss a number of issues in detail, I would like to provide you with an overview of IP education and research at academic institutions, in particular at universities.

How many universities in the world are teaching IP? It is hard to reply to such a simple question, because there are no reliable worldwide statistics and surveys. Moreover, curricula vary significantly.

Some universities only have an intensive course for a few days as an optional credit in the Law school. Other universities have a special faculty dedicated to IP. It seems that most law schools have included IP in their curricula as an optional course.

The WIPO Worldwide Academy estimates that the number of universities which have a course in IP as follows: approximately 100 universities in Africa, 150 in Latin America, 200 in North America, 150 in Asia and the Pacific, 20 in Arab countries, and 100 in Europe. This means that over 700 universities in the world are teaching IP.

In preparation for this Symposium, a few months ago, the WIPO Worldwide Academy conducted a fact-finding survey by sampling some 20 universities in the world. I will give you a brief summary of the survey which I hope you will find useful for today’s discussions:

1. At those 20 universities, courses offered are taught mostly in law faculties and on an optional basis.
2. Most of the sampled universities offer courses at the undergraduate, graduate and post-graduate levels. They see a need for cooperation on IP teaching at the international level.
3. Challenges facing universities in the field of IP education include funding, keeping up with changes internationally and materials for teaching.
4. The majority of sampled universities noted that IP education and research should be extended to other disciplines such as business, commerce and engineering.
5. Where there is a lack of IP teaching, the reasons given by a few institutions include a lack of teachers of IP, and a lack of teaching materials.

The number of samples are relatively small but the results of the survey appear to provide a good snap shot of the current situation.

Some universities made suggestions for enhancing WIPO’s activities as follows:

1. arrangements for collaborative research projects between academic institutions;
2. the creation of a database of IP professors and their respective areas of expertise;
3. assistance for developing IP curriculum;
4. further development of distance learning courses on the Academy’s web site;
5. the provision of international scholarships for young, talented scholars; and
6. the creation of a database containing cases/judgements in various countries which should be accessible and searchable on the Academy’s web site.

All of these suggestions merit serious consideration. I also hope that the Symposium will discuss these ideas and other thoughts which will enhance IP education and research.

To make these things happen, we need to foster partnerships and improve international cooperation among all parties concerned. The role of academic institutions is crucial in this regard.

We have two days for the Symposium. The Symposium has been structured so that it will identify and analyze the emerging needs and challenges, exchange experiences and views of academic institutions and governments in different countries, and look at ways of promoting partnerships and improving international cooperation.

The outcome of this International Symposium will provide input for WIPO’s planning of activities in this area. But it will also be a call for all stakeholders to step up their efforts to enhance international cooperation among academic institutions, the private sector, civil society, international organizations, NGOs and Governments. WIPO is happy to work together with relevant partners.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

The students of today are the decision-makers of tomorrow. It is important to find ways to provide IP educators with appropriate and effective mechanisms to boost IP education and research. I wish the Symposium and participants every success.

Thank you for your attention.