WIPO and SIPO Launch Cyber-learning Coursein Chinese
Geneva, October 23, 2001
Press Updates UPD/2001/145
The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) has extended access to its flagship distance learning course on intellectual property to Chinese-speaking students. The course is currently available in English, French, and Spanish. Arabic, Portuguese and Russian versions are also planned for release in the near future. The formal launch of the Chinese version of the program took place at a ceremony organized earlier this month in Beijing by the State Intellectual Property Office of China (SIPO) and the China Intellectual Property Training Center (CIPTC), in the presence of the Deputy Commissioner of SIPO, Mr. Ma Lianyuan.
The distance learning program is a concrete example of the commitment by the Director General of WIPO, Dr. Kamil Idris, to create broader awareness of intellectual property by making it more accessible to students who are not necessarily specializing in this field. "Distance should not be an obstruction to instruction. The WIPO Worldwide Academy's distance learning initiative provides a chance for students anywhere in the world to learn about the basics of intellectual property." Dr. Idris said. The Director General emphasized that this innovative on-line teaching technique, only in its third year, has enabled some 5,000 students from over 110 countries to learn about copyright and related rights, patents, trademarks, geographical indications, and WIPO-administered international registration systems. It has brought teachers specializing in intellectual property issues closer to students and other interested parties in all corners of the world through virtual means.
At the Beijing ceremony, SIPO Deputy Commissioner, Mr. Ma, underlined the importance of the availability of the Chinese version of WIPO distance learning courses to Chinese students. The initiative, undertaken within the framework of cooperation between SIPO and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), was an excellent means of promoting greater public awareness about the intellectual property in China. He welcomed the Academy's contribution to spreading "intellectual property knowledge and improvement of skills." He anticipated widespread interest by Chinese students in the distance learning program which promised to "have a long-lasting effect on the teaching and outreach programs in intellectual property in China". Mr Ma commended the WIPO Worldwide Academy, which he said, is "an important training institute in intellectual property, [which] has trained large numbers of intellectual property professionals through various programs, including distance learning"
The distance learning initiative takes full advantage of information technology and the Internet as an alternative to traditional training programs and is delivered through the WIPO Academy website http://academy.wipo.int. It offers new teaching methodologies, customized course materials, evaluation tools, and mechanisms for tutor-student interaction. The course, which takes about 50 hours of study time spaced over a six week period, includes self-assessment questions, tests, a glossary with links to the 21 WIPO-administered treaties and a full range of other intellectual property information materials. Students who successfully complete the course are awarded a WIPO certificate.
The WIPO Worldwide Academy was founded in March 1998, shortly after Dr. Idris took over leadership of the Organization, in order to assist member states attain specialized knowledge and skills to enable them to derive benefits from the intellectual property system. Although WIPO has always provided assistance and training to its member states in the use of intellectual property, the Academy was created for the specific purpose of consolidating training and human resource development activities under a central coordinating mechanism. The distance learning program was one of the first concrete initiatives launched by the Academy.
For further information, please contact Mrs. Francesca Toso-Dunant, Head, Distance Learning Program at WIPO:
Tel: (+41 22) 338 94 62
Fax: (+41 22) 740 1417
E-mail: francesca.toso@wipo.int
Chinese version of this Update is available in Adobe PDF format