The Global IP Infrastructure program has been created in response to the need:
- for greater technical standardization and work sharing between IP Offices around the world in order to help meet the growing global demand on the IP system;
- to facilitate the exchange of data and knowledge between Offices;
- to maximize benefits to developing countries by facilitating their participation in the system and their access to and use of its benefits in accordance with the Development Agenda.
(See the Revised Program and Budget for the 2008/09 Biennium [PDF].)
At the 2008 meetings of the WIPO Assemblies, the Director General outlined several elements of the future Global IP Infrastructure:
- WIPO is to coordinate construction of a global knowledge infrastructure, comprising public, freely available databases of technological and scientific information and operating on common standards for data interchange.
- Through office automation and training, IP Offices and research institutions and universities in developing countries can be equipped to participate in the infrastructure.
- The infrastructure is expected to contribute in a practical way to sharing the socio-economic benefit of IP systems.
(Further details may be found in the Director General’s acceptance speech.)