About Intellectual Property IP Training IP Outreach IP for… IP and... IP in... Patent & Technology Information Trademark Information Industrial Design Information Geographical Indication Information Plant Variety Information (UPOV) IP Laws, Treaties & Judgements IP Resources IP Reports Patent Protection Trademark Protection Industrial Design Protection Geographical Indication Protection Plant Variety Protection (UPOV) IP Dispute Resolution IP Office Business Solutions Paying for IP Services Negotiation & Decision-Making Development Cooperation Innovation Support Public-Private Partnerships The Organization Working with WIPO Accountability Patents Trademarks Industrial Designs Geographical Indications Copyright Trade Secrets WIPO Academy Workshops & Seminars World IP Day WIPO Magazine Raising Awareness Case Studies & Success Stories IP News WIPO Awards Business Universities Indigenous Peoples Judiciaries Genetic Resources, Traditional Knowledge and Traditional Cultural Expressions Economics Gender Equality Global Health Climate Change Competition Policy Sustainable Development Goals Enforcement Frontier Technologies Mobile Applications Sports Tourism PATENTSCOPE Patent Analytics International Patent Classification ARDI – Research for Innovation ASPI – Specialized Patent Information Global Brand Database Madrid Monitor Article 6ter Express Database Nice Classification Vienna Classification Global Design Database International Designs Bulletin Hague Express Database Locarno Classification Lisbon Express Database Global Brand Database for GIs PLUTO Plant Variety Database GENIE Database WIPO-Administered Treaties WIPO Lex - IP Laws, Treaties & Judgments WIPO Standards IP Statistics WIPO Pearl (Terminology) WIPO Publications Country IP Profiles WIPO Knowledge Center WIPO Technology Trends Global Innovation Index World Intellectual Property Report PCT – The International Patent System ePCT Budapest – The International Microorganism Deposit System Madrid – The International Trademark System eMadrid Article 6ter (armorial bearings, flags, state emblems) Hague – The International Design System eHague Lisbon – The International System of Appellations of Origin and Geographical Indications eLisbon UPOV PRISMA Mediation Arbitration Expert Determination Domain Name Disputes Centralized Access to Search and Examination (CASE) Digital Access Service (DAS) WIPO Pay Current Account at WIPO WIPO Assemblies Standing Committees Calendar of Meetings WIPO Official Documents Development Agenda Technical Assistance IP Training Institutions COVID-19 Support National IP Strategies Policy & Legislative Advice Cooperation Hub Technology and Innovation Support Centers (TISC) Technology Transfer Inventor Assistance Program WIPO GREEN WIPO's Pat-INFORMED Accessible Books Consortium WIPO for Creators WIPO ALERT Member States Observers Director General Activities by Unit External Offices Job Vacancies Procurement Results & Budget Financial Reporting Oversight

In the News

December 2011

Television turns 75

The world’s first regular television (TV) service, offered by the U.K.’s flagship broadcaster, the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), began broadcasting just 75 years ago at 3 p.m. on November 2, 1936, from a hilltop at Alexandra Palace in North London.

The first broadcast lasted two hours and covered the formal launch of the service, a Movietone newsreel, a variety show and a 15-minute documentary entitled “Television comes to London”, set to an excerpt of Dvorak’s New World Symphony and which provided a behind-the-scenes view of the preparations leading up to the launch.

For the first six months, the studio tested two competing technical systems, a mechanical system developed by John Logie Baird which produced images of 240 lines, and an electronic system developed by EMI-Marconi which produced images of 405 lines. In comparison, today’s digital high-definition TVs offer picture resolutions of 1,080 lines. Winning on the toss of a coin, the Baird system was used for the inaugural broadcast, although it was dropped after the trial period in favor of the EMI-Marconi system. The studio’s hilltop location meant that its programs could be reliably picked up by some 20,000 homes within a 25-mile range.

Although the dream of television became a reality in the 1930s, inventors from many different countries had been working on it as far back as the 1850s. Today, television is an extremely powerful means of communication and the world’s most popular form of entertainment. As noted by Matt Cooke, Chair of the Alexandra Park and Palace Trust, the first broadcast “paved the way for a new kind of social entertainment, but it also prompted technological advancements in the way we communicate with each other which still impact on us today.”

_________________________

Copyright industries driving U.S. economy

Copyright industries added over US$930 billion in value to the U.S. economy in 2010, according to a recent study released by the Washington-based International Intellectual Property Alliance (IIPA). In addition to their almost 6.4 percent contribution to gross domestic product (GDP), the industries account for some US$134 billion in foreign sales and exports, and employ nearly 5.1 million workers, offering salaries 27 percent above the average. The study, prepared by Stephen Siwek of Economists Incorporated for the IIPA, updates 12 previous studies that track the impact of U.S. industries that create, produce and distribute theatrical films, TV programs, home videos, DVDs, business software, entertainment software, books, journals, music and sound recordings. The IIPA ’s Steven J. Metalitz noted, “the 2011 edition of our study shows once again how significantly the U.S. copyright industries contribute to U.S. jobs, wages, economic growth and international competitiveness,” according to an IIPA press release.

_________________________

A low-tech irrigation solution for arid regions

A low-tech sub-surface irrigation system for growing crops in arid regions caught the attention of judges to win this year’s annual James Dyson Award which seeks to “encourage the next generation of design engineers to be creative, challenge and invent.”

Edward Linacre’s “Airdrop Irrigation” technique harvests moisture from the air and delivers water directly to plant roots. Solar panels are used to charge small battery-powered wind turbines that draw heated air underground where it cools, condenses and is collected in an underground trap. Solar energy is used to pump the water directly via underground dripper pipes to plant roots. The system includes an LCD screen that displays tank water levels, pressure strength, solar battery life and overall system health.

Mr. Linacre, a former industrial design student at Melbourne’s Swinburne University of Technology in Australia, said his system is “a response to the devastating effects of drought.” He explained that it works on the principle that even the driest air contains water molecules that can be extracted by lowering the air’s temperature to the point of condensation. The system is easy to install and maintain. “There are very few low-tech solutions” for harvesting water, he said, and “I wanted farmers to be able to install this themselves.”

With £10,000 in prize money that comes with the award, Mr. Linacre now aims to develop and roll out his ingenious solution. “Winning this award means that I can develop and test the Airdrop system. It has the potential to help farmers around the world and I’m up for the challenge of rolling it out,” he said.

The WIPO Magazine is intended to help broaden public understanding of intellectual property and of WIPO’s work, and is not an official document of WIPO. The designations employed and the presentation of material throughout this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of WIPO concerning the legal status of any country, territory or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. This publication is not intended to reflect the views of the Member States or the WIPO Secretariat. The mention of specific companies or products of manufacturers does not imply that they are endorsed or recommended by WIPO in preference to others of a similar nature that are not mentioned.