IP Academies Agree to Galvanize Efforts to Promote IP Education

Heads of intellectual property (IP) academies and training and research institutes from across the globe meeting in Beijing under the umbrella of the Global Network on Intellectual Property Academies (GNIPA) on May 8 and 9, 2008, agreed to intensify efforts to strengthen collaboration between particpating institutes, to promote the development of effective IP training programs for diverse target groups and to galvanize support for the Network. The Symposium, hosted by the State Intellectual Property Office of China (SIPO) discussed, a number of key issues relating to IP education, training and research. The first such Symposium was held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in March 2007 and the next Symposium will be hosted by the European Patent Office (EPO) in 2009.

 

Discussions centered on the challenges and opportunities arising from the recent growth and development of IP academies across the world. Particular attention was paid to exploring responses to the challenges confronting newly established IP academies. Participants also examined ways to strengthen cooperation and improve coordination between IP offices and IP academies and further considered strategies and methodologies for designing IP education and training programs for diverse target groups. The Symposium also explored strategies for mobilizing human and financial resources from the public and private sectors and academic institutions and underscored the crucial need for closer collaboration and the pooling of human and financial resources.

 

The Symposium underlined the central role that the GNIPA was playing in the field of IP education, training and research. The GNIPA was established as a result of the first Symposium held at Rio de Janeiro in 2007 and is mandated to create synergies and promote IP education, training and research globally.

 

The Symposium further examined the Rio Declaration which emerged from the 2007 Symposium and the action plan for its implementation.  The action plan formally recognized the secretariat of the GNIPA as comprising the WIPO Academy, the China Intellectual Property Training Center and SIPO as the hosts of the 2008 Symposium and the European Patent Academy as the hosts of the 2009 Symposium. The WIPO Academy was entrusted with the responsibility of the day to day administration of the work of the GNIPA secretariat.

 

The Symposium agreed to establish a GNIPA website to be administered by the WIPO Academy to include information such as the results of an international survey of key statistical information and facts relating to IP education, training, research and collaborative educational materials and documents. It further requested the WIPO Academy, in cooperation with GNIPA partners, to examine the feasibility of establishing an International Journal on Intellectual Property Education Training and Research. 

 

Participants also agreed to exchange educational materials. In order to facilitate the exchange of e-learning materials, the WIPO Academy, in cooperation with its network partners was requested to examine the possibility of adopting a compatible e-learning management platform.  The WIPO Academy was requested to coordinate translation of IP educational material where the need arose.

 

Network partners agreed to intensify its efforts in galvanizing resources and support towards meeting their common objectives and underscored that the sharing of human and financial resources was crucial to the achievement of the GNIPA’s goals and common objectives. 

 

Participants of the Symposium represented the following institutions:  Intellectual Property Research Institute of Australia (IPRIA), National Institute of Industrial Property (INPI) of Brazil, State Intellectual Property Office of China (SIPO), China Intellectual Property Training Center (CIPTC), State Intellectual Property Office of Croatia (SIPO), Industrial Property Office of Cuba (OCPI), National Center for Industrial Property Information and Training (INPIT) of Japan, Intellectual Property Research and Training Institute of the Philippines (IPRTI), International Intellectual Property Training Institute (IIPTI), Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO) of the Republic of Korea, Turkish Patent Institute (IPI), IP Academy of the University of Khartoum, Sudan, Department of Intellectual Property (DIP) of the Ministry of Commerce of Thailand, United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), National Office of Intellectual Property (NOIP) of Viet Nam, together with representatives of international and regional organizations, WIPO Academy, African Regional Intellectual Property Organization (ARIPO), African Intellectual Property Organization (OAPI), and the European Patent Academy (EPA).

 

Representatives expressed their appreciation to the State Intellectual Property Office of China (SIPO) for hosting the Symposium and to the EPA for offering to host the next GNIPA Symposium in 2009.