Italy Boosts Contribution to WIPO

Geneva, December 10, 2009
PR/2009/623

The Government of Italy announced on December 10, 2009 that it will build on its extra-budgetary contributions to WIPO with an additional one million Euros. The announcement was made by Italy’s Secretary or State, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Vincenzo Scotti, and Mr. Giussepe Tripoli, Chief of Department, Ministry of Economic Development at an international conference in Rome, organized jointly by WIPO and Italy’s National Council for Economies and Labor (CNEL) with the participation of CNEL President Antonio Marzano and WIPO Director General Francis Gurry.  

Speaking at the opening of the conference which is addressing the relevance of intellectual property (IP) to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), Mr. Gurry welcomed Italy’s latest contribution, saying it reflects Italy’s commitment to consolidating and reinforcing its contribution to the activities of WIPO since the establishment of a funds-in-trust (FIT) program in 2007 to cover IP-related activities in developing countries and countries in transition.   

Bilateral meetings between Mr. Gurry and the Italian officials – Mr. Marzano, Mr. Scotti, and Mr. Tripoli - further consolidate the excellent relations between WIPO and the Government of Italy. 

The Italian FIT program prioritizes the promotion of economic and commercial activities based on IP, the relationship between IP and technological development, the development of creative industries, the use of IP by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), the protection of geographical indications (GIs), industrial designs, IP training, and the fight against counterfeiting and audiovisual piracy.  Italy is one of the largest contributors of extra budgetary resources to WIPO. 

Part of the funds announced by Italy will support the development of a Global IP-Based Entrepreneurship Program, an interdisciplinary pilot training program which would initially be hosted by an Italian University. The program will rely on the case studies of successful use of the IP system by SMEs in the OECD countries, notably Italy. The funds would also support programs to stimulate the use of the IP system by SMEs in specific sectors, such as IT, software, biotechnology, textiles, agrobusiness, and tourism.