Press Room Archive 2019

European Union Joins Geneva Act of WIPO’s Lisbon Agreement, Enabling Entry into Force (PR/2019/841)

The Geneva Act of the Lisbon Agreement on Appellations of Origin and Geographical Indications reached a milestone enabling its entry into force, as the European Union (EU) joined as the key fifth member of the international registration system that provides protection for names identifying the geographic origin of products such as coffee, tea, fruits, wine, pottery, glass and cloth.

WIPO Assemblies Close with New Direction for Organization’s Future Work (PR/2019/837)

Delegates from WIPO’s 192 member states closed their 2019 Assemblies meetings with agreement on the Organization’s work program and related budget for the 2020-21 biennium, while WIPO’s intellectual property (IP)-related treaties attracted nearly a dozen new adherents.

Global Innovation Index 2019: India Makes Major Gains as Switzerland, Sweden, U.S., Netherlands, U.K. Top Ranking; Trade Protectionism Poses Risks for Future Innovation (PR/2019/834)

Switzerland is the world’s most-innovative country followed by Sweden, the United States of America (U.S.), the Netherlands and the United Kingdom (U.K.), according to the 2019 edition of the Global Innovation Index (GII), which also identifies regional leaders India, South Africa, Chile, Israel and Singapore, with China, Viet Nam and Rwanda topping their income groups.