Member States Address Enforcement

Geneva, October 26, 2000
Press Updates UPD/2000/112

At the first meeting of a new committee on enforcement on October 19 and 20, 2000, member states asked the secretariat of the World Intellectual Property Organization to initiate a series of studies aimed at promoting more effective enforcement of industrial property rights all over the world. The representatives from the 57 member states and several intergovernmental and non-governmental international organizations in attendance also agreed on a general framework for future talks in the area of enforcement.

The Advisory Committee on Enforcement of Industrial Property Rights unanimously adopted a list of priorities that it should address prior to its next meeting in June 2001, including, in particular, to:

  • initiate studies to identify difficulties, training needs and best practices, with a particular emphasis on those that are less time consuming and less costly, in the enforcement of industrial property rights in all member states; and


  • investigate possible public awareness campaigns to sensitize the general public and administrative and judicial agencies to the importance of this issue, with particular emphasis on health and safety aspects of effective enforcement.

The Advisory Committee on Enforcement of Industrial Property Rights will work closely with its counterpart in the field of copyright, namely, the Advisory Committee on Management and Enforcement of Copyright and Related Rights in Global Information Networks, to ensure that the issue of enforcement of intellectual property rights is handled in a coherent manner. Agreement was reached to hold a joint session with the latter committee in 2001 to identify common issues and activities.

Effective enforcement is key to the success of ensuring respect for intellectual property rights. Enforcement is a multi-disciplinary task involving both intellectual property officials and enforcement agencies such as the judiciary, customs and police. The Committee, driven by the needs of member states, seeks to facilitate cooperation among agencies to promote more efficient enforcement.

  • Tel: (+41 22) - 338 81 61 or 338 95 47
  • Fax: (+41 22) - 338 88 10
  • Email: publicinf@wipo.int.