WIPO Director General Visits Poland
September 22, 2023
WIPO Director General Daren Tang concluded on September 22, 2023, a three-day visit to Poland for a series of meetings with top government officials as well as representatives of the innovation economy from the private sector and academia.
IP Congress
The Director General participated in the International Congress on Intellectual Property: Future, Challenges, Trends. The event was organized on the occasion of the 105th Anniversary of the Patent Office of the Republic of Poland.
In his keynote address to the audience, which included representatives from government, business and academia from around the world, the Director General congratulated Poland on three decades of near unbroken economic growth, and on becoming one of the EU's major technology hubs.
He also focused on how intellectual property (IP) is becoming a financial asset, and how IP is part of the solution to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in an increasingly interconnected world.
The Director General also joined a panel discussion with his counterparts from the European Patent Office (EPO) and the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) on the future of IP.
Bilateral meetings
During the visit, the Director General met with Prof. Piotr Gliński, Minister of Culture and National Heritage of Poland, where discussions focused on the Polish achievements in culture, and the growing Polish videogame sector.
Mr. Tang emphasized the importance of joint activities in support of Polish creators, and the Minister appreciated the importance of WIPO for creating appropriate conditions on a global scale for the further development and protection of intellectual property.
In a meeting with Ms. Małgorzata Paprocka, Secretary of State, Chancellery of the President of the Republic, discussions focused on the Polish start-up environment, the possibility of WIPO's involvement in the economic and IP dimension of the Three Seas Initiative, and the directions and priorities of WIPO's cooperation with Poland.
Mr. Tang also met with Ms. Magdalena Rzeczkowska, Minister of Finance, Mr. Wojciech Murdzek, Secretary of State at the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, as well as with Ms. Karolina Król, Undersecretary of State, Ministry of Economic Development. Discussions covered the intersection between IP and financing and WIPO’s close cooperation with Poland on using IP for economic growth, technology transfer and commercialization.
In the Kazimierz Palace at the University of Warsaw, Mr. Tang met with Prof. Alojzy Nowak, Rector of the University of Warsaw, Prof. Zbigniew Gaciong, Rector of the Medical University of Warsaw, Prof. Michal Zasada, Rector of the Warsaw University of Life Sciences, Prof. Mariusz Malinowski, Vice-Rector of the Warsaw University of Technology, Prof. Agnieszka Chłoń-Domińczak, Vice-Rector of the Warsaw School of Economics, Prof. Konrad Raczkowski, Vice-Rector of the Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University and engineer Adam Bartnicki, Director of the Technology Transfer Center of the Military University of Technology.
Following presentations of the activities of the Universities, discussion were held on how to further enhance technology transfer and IP commercialization, the role of Polish inventors and creators across the world, as well as WIPO initiatives designed to support Polish academia and students.
In a meeting hosted by Ms. Edyta Demby-Siwek, President, Patent Office of the Republic of Poland, the Director General met with Mr. Tadeusz Białek, President of the Association of Polish Banks, Mr. Marek Dietl, President of the Management Board of the Warsaw Stock Exchange, Ms. Edyta Doboszyńska, Director General of the Polish Craft Association, Mr. Krzysztof Kopeć, President of the Board of the Polish Association of Pharmaceutical Industry Employers – Medicines for Poland, Mr. Zygmunt Krasiński, Director General of the Polish Chamber of Commerce for Advanced Technologies IZTECH, Mr. Kacper Raciborski, CEO of the Innovations Hub Foundation, Mr. Grzegorz Rychwalski, Head of the Intellectual Property Council at the Lewiatan Confederation, and Ms. Dominika Urbańska-Galanciak, Polish Association of Entertainment Software Developers and Distributors.
Among the topics discussed were the banking market in Poland, including the security market for loans granted by Polish banks, turnover and valuation of intellectual property rights, the Łukasiewicz Index and the art trade market (including NFT); crafts and their role in the Polish economy; the pharmaceutical market in Poland, including the protection of drug names by trademarks and the importance of additional drug protection rights; the potential of the Polish market in terms of advanced technologies and expectations and challenges in matters of patent law in the context of advanced technologies. They also discussed the startup and SME sectors in Poland, the Polish videogame industry, and the central role IP plays in it Poland and abroad and the role of IP education.
Mr. Tang emphasized WIPO’s commitment to continuing to support all stakeholders and highlighted WIPO initiatives and projects such as for example the WIPO Training, Mentoring and Matchmaking Program on Intellectual Property for Women Entrepreneurs in Local Communities in the Central European and Baltic States Region (CEBS WEP), or the Videogame Development: A Quest for IP project.
Meeting with staff of the Patent Office of the Republic of Poland
Accompanied by Ms. Demby Siwek, the Director General visited the Patent Office of the Republic of Poland (PPO) and met with its staff. They discussed the future evolution of IP offices, and engaged in a dialogue with PPO staff.
Chopin Museum
As a pianist himself, the Director General enjoyed a visit to the Chopin Museum of Warsaw, where Bartosz Skłodowski performed a piano concert.