Intellectual Property and Economic Development Division (IPEDD)

 Publication on "The Economics of Intellectual Property. Suggestions for Further Research in Developing Countries and Countries with Economies in Transition"

The Intellectual Property and Economic Development Division (IPEDD) is responsible for assessing how intellectual property (IP) works in practice, as a tool for economic development and wealth creation, in today’s knowledge-based economy. One of the major roles of the Division is to enhance the analysis of how IP can create economic value for its owners and society as a whole, through the dynamic exploitation of IP assets.

Main Activities

The work of the IPEDD relates to the development of academic studies, demonstration projects and publications, to analyze the potential of the IP system to promote economic growth. Activities include:

• studying national experiences and organizing national, sub-regional and regional meetings;
• preparing outreach material to inform policy-makers on selected IP issues, and on the intricacies of ongoing debates;
• developing conceptual frameworks, methodologies, indices and questionnaires to assess IP situations at the national level;
• organizing inter-regional programs to promote the exchange of experiences on using IP for development.

The IPEDD is responsible for coordinating and following up on the proposal for the Establishment of a Development Agenda for WIPO, initiated at the thirty-first session of the General Assembly in October 2004. Discussions on the establishment of the development agenda have taken place in three Inter-sessional Intergovernmental Meetings in 2005 and two sessions of the Provisional Committee on the Development Agenda in 2006, for which a wide range of proposals have been submitted by Member States.

Within the framework of the Inter-sessional Intergovernmental Meetings (IIM) on a Development Agenda for WIPO, The IPEDD organized a one day Interactive Session with Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs). The Session focused on exposing NGOs to the development activities of WIPO and engaging in detailed discussion between parties. The aim of the Session was to hold discussions in an informal manner so as to develop a better understanding of each party’s perspective, and to determine strategies for future interaction and cooperation between WIPO and NGOs for addressing IP development issues.

In order to promote the debate on strategic approaches to the use of IP as an effective development tool, that is adequately integrated into national development policies, the IPEDD organizes a series of International Seminars on the Strategic Use of Intellectual Property for Economic and Social Development. The seminars focus on specific public policy issues and matters of current concern for policy makers and the IP community. They seek to provide policy-makers a forum to reflect, with their peers from other countries and regions, on different approaches to making use of the potential and flexibilities offered by the IP system to promote national development objectives.

The Division collaborates with experts in various fields, as well as the academic community in reputed universities. It commissions studies/projects, to provide a more effective and realistic assessment, based on empirical evidence, of the linkages between IP assets and economic development. The objective is to clarify and explain the economics of the IP system and to generate economic data to assist policy makers in formulating strategies for national economic development.

Some of the studies completed, and underway, include:

• Study on IP Management in Health R&D in Indonesia.
• Compilation of manuals, guidelines, and directories in the area of intellectual property portfolio management customized for the association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
• Feasibility study for a nation branding strategy in Jamaica.
• Feasibility study for a nation branding strategy in Bhutan.
• Study on impact of geographical indication protection in tea, cinnamon and sapphires sectors in Sri Lanka
• Study on intellectual property potential in the biotechnology industry in India