WIPO Press Room

The WIPO Press Room web site provides access to up-to-date information on current events at WIPO and background information to help you report on intellectual property issues.

Communiqués are divided into three categories. Press Releases report on events as they happen.  Updates give a progress report on the various committees that meet throughout the year and other running stories.  Media Alerts provide details of forthcoming events of media interest.

If you require further information about media accreditation to cover WIPO meetings, please contact the Media Relations & Public Affairs Section on +41 22 338 8161 or 338 9547.

 

Latest News

[Press Archive]

Mar 18, 2010

Global Financial Crisis Hits International Trademark Filings in 2009 (PR/2010/634) International trademark filings under WIPO’s Madrid System for the International Registration of Marks (“the Madrid system”) dropped by 16% in 2009 as a result of the global economic downturn, though increases were observed among some major users of the system, notably the European Union (EU) (3.1%) and Japan (2.7%), as well as in the Republic of Korea (ROK) (+33.9%), Singapore (+20.5%), Croatia (+17.5%) and Hungary (+14.5%).

Mar 16, 2010

WIPO & US Copyright Office Course Addresses Access to Copyright-protected works by Visually Impaired Persons (UPD/2010/316) Improved access to copyright-protected content for the blind and other persons with visual or print disabilities (VIPs) was the focus of an international training course co-organized by the United States Copyright Office and WIPO in Washington from March 8 to 12, 2010. The International Training Program for Developing Countries and Countries in Transition on Emerging Issues in Copyright and Related Rights and Issues Pertaining to Blind and Visually Impaired Persons, brought together policy-makers and experts from 28 countries.

Mar 5, 2010

Director General Wraps up Official Visit to Japan (PR/2010/633) WIPO Director General Francis Gurry wrapped up an official visit to Japan from March 1 to March 5, 2010, during which he met a number of high level Government representatives, including Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Masayuki Naoshima, and Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Koichi Takemasa, as well as Japan Patent Office (JPO) Commissioner Tetsuhiro Hosono.

Feb 8, 2010

International Patent Filings Dip in 2009 amid Global Economic Downturn (PR/2010/632) International patent filings under WIPO’s Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) fell by 4.5% in 2009 with sharper than average declines experienced by some industrialized countries and growth in a number of East Asian countries. Provisional data indicates that 155,900 (annex 1) international patent applications were filed in 2009 as compared to the nearly 164,000 applications filed in 2008.