Egyptian Parliamentarians Visit WIPO Headquarters
Geneva, October 26, 2001
Press Releases PR/2001/298
A group of parliamentarians from the Arab Republic of Egypt met with the Director General of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), Dr. Kamil Idris, on October 26, 2001 for an exchange of views on the strategic importance of intellectual property and its role in wealth creation and economic development. The meeting was part of a visit by the parliamentarians to WIPO headquarters in Geneva from October 22 to 26, 2001, for a series of in-depth briefings about the work of the Organization, the importance of intellectual property in today's knowledge-based societies, and on-going and future areas of cooperation between WIPO and Egypt.
This visit by the parliamentarians was particularly timely as it came a few weeks ahead of discussion by the People's Assembly of new draft comprehensive intellectual property legislation of Egypt.
The Parliamentary delegation was headed by Dr. Hossam Badrawi, Chairman of the Assembly's Committee on Education and Scientific Research, and included Mr. Hussein El Serafy, Mr. Talat El Sayed, Mr. Abu El Ezz El Hariri, Ms. Fayza El Tahnawy, Mr. Amr Al Heiny, Mr. Hussein Megawer, Mr. Seif Rashad, Mr. Fayez Abu Harb, and Mr. Talat Mahran.
Dr. Idris highlighted the need for countries such as Egypt to invest in building a robust intellectual property system. This, he pointed out, would help developing countries secure a competitive edge in the knowledge-based economies of the 21st century. Dr. Idris stressed the critical role of parliamentarians, who ensure that the proper legislative framework is in place.
Other issues discussed included teaching of intellectual property rights and the on-line digital exploitation of Egypt's cultural heritage. The Director General emphasized the importance of academic institutions, at all levels, to include intellectual property in their curricula. Students' exposure to notions of intellectual property should begin as early as possible, Dr. Idris noted. He also underlined the huge opportunities that existed for Egypt to exploit digital technologies to disseminate its rich cultural heritage, through, for example, making collections of museums available on the Internet, and said that WIPO is ready to extend its assistance in such efforts.
The group met with a number of WIPO officials for talks on various aspects of WIPO's work. These covered the Organization's norm-setting activities relating to the progressive development of intellectual property law, Cooperation for Development Program, electronic commerce, and the services that WIPO provides to the private sector. The parliamentarians engaged in an enriching exchange of views with WIPO officials about the benefits of a strong intellectual property system and its role in promoting economic, social and cultural development. They also met with officials of the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV) to discuss the protection of new plant varieties in the new draft legislation.
The parliamentarians also reviewed comments made by WIPO on Egypt's new draft comprehensive intellectual property legislation, that will be submitted for consideration by the Assembly next month. Dr. Badrawi welcomed WIPO's observations, which had been taken into account in drafting the final version of the law. WIPO has been assisting developing countries in ensuring that their intellectual property laws are compatible with international standards laid out in the World Trade Organization's (WTO) Agreement on Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property (TRIPS).
For further information, please contact the Media Relations & Public Affairs Section at WIPO: Tel: +4122-3388161/3389547; Email: publicinf@wipo.int; Fax: +4122-3388810.