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Conference on the International Patent System Opens with Calls for more Efficiency and Equity

Geneva, March 25, 2002
Press Releases PR/2002/305

The Director General of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), Dr. Kamil Idris, opened an international conference on patents on Monday with a call for consideration of wide-ranging reforms to ensure a more efficient and just system that, in an evolving world, would balance the interests of both inventors and the general public. He said that the reshaping of the international patent system to make it more accessible and equitable hinged on participation by all stake holders and required political commitment at all levels.

"Change in the wide sense is vital, and it should be based on long-term needs and objectives, in addition to addressing present critical concerns. To make such change attainable requires the commitment and political will of all concerned," Dr. Idris told some 400 delegates attending the meeting. He said that while the current system faced severe problems of functionality, with patent offices having to handle enormous workloads in spite of reduced budgets, the international community should not lose sight of the wider issues. "I believe that we must now look to future change based upon wider considerations than workload problems, notwithstanding their immediacy and the importance of addressing them as a matter of urgency," he said. The Director General highlighted the importance of intellectual property assets, which he said "are of greater importance than ever before in our increasingly knowledge-based, cyber-linked world and are regarded as an indispensable down payment on a decent future that promises economic, social and cultural growth for all nations.

Dr. Idris urged countries to formulate national patent policies that would promote development, "while bearing in mind that a proper balance needs to be maintained between the interests of patent owners and the public." He said the patent system must remain effective and enjoy the confidence of users. "To do that, it must continue to develop, and both adaptation and more fundamental change in certain areas are needed, internationally and at the national level." Dr. Idris stressed that "the patent system must operate for the maximum benefit of all countries and communities and of those who use the system and are affected by it, taking into account their differing levels of economic and technological development."

The purpose of the conference, Dr. Idris, pointed out, was to help in identifying and analyzing detailed measures in the process of reshaping the international patent system. "The Conference affords a great opportunity to explore these issues and will help to set the tone for future discussions among WIPO's member states and interested organizations and groups, in the course of which priorities will need to be identified and established, and to inspire thinking in WIPO's secretariat." The Director General stressed that this process should be as inclusive as possible. "In the process of reshaping the international patent system, it is very important to achieve a broad basis of consensus as to how to benefit the widest range of countries, individuals and enterprises which participate in, make use of, and are affected by the system, he said.

Also addressing the opening session of the Conference, Mr. Kouzo Oikawa, Commissioner of the Japanese Patent Office (JPO) spoke of the challenges facing patent offices in coping with the explosion in the number and nature of patent applications worldwide. Commissioner Oikawa urged the international community to tackle the crisis currently facing the international patent system from both a legal and technical perspective. As a practical measure, he encouraged increased reliance on and mutual exploitation of patent search and examination results. The Commissioner also urged more investment in human resource development and use of information technologies which were key to developing a more rational and effective international patent system.

Professor Edmund W. Kitch, of the School of Law of the University of Virginia, outlined the benefits of an effective international patent system. Using his native United States of America as an example, he said that patent laws since 1790 "have made a continuing and important contribution to the process of innovation which has enabled the country to address many of its most pressing needs, and to gradually improve the standard of living for all its citizens."

Professor Kitch said international collaboration is necessary for an effective functioning of the patent system. The construction of an international patent system is a journey. The effective administration of patent laws and successful international collaboration require both effort and goodwill. This conference will explore ways in which the existing arrangements can be revised to better integrate all nations into the international patent system and the world economy.

Mr. Michael K. Kirk, Executive Director of the American Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA) said that tensions between the patent system and other areas of public policy had increased over the past couple of decades. This trend was likely to continue. The solution to managing these tensions, he observed, lay in strengthening the quality of patents granted. "I believe that a clear focus on ensuring that patent systems grant valid patents will contribute to managing potential conflicts and reducing the tensions. Our goal must be to achieve rational conflict management." He also enumerated the advantages of the patent system in fostering innovation and development.

Delegates from both the public and private sector, as well as academia are meeting under WIPO auspices from March 25-27, 2002, to probe the dynamics of the international patent system and examine the future outlook of a field that has recently acquired increasing public attention. The conference will discuss the main issues and challenges confronting the international patent system in a world in which innovation is constantly expanding the frontiers of human experience. The Conference is taking place in the context of the WIPO Patent Agenda launched by Director General Kamil Idris in September 2001 (see PR/2001/290). The WIPO Patent Agenda is intended to kick-start worldwide discussions on the preparation of a strategic blueprint for the future evolution of the international patent system (IPS). Details of speakers, who will include senior government figures and chief executives of major companies, are available from http://patentagenda.wipo.int.

For further information, please contact the Media Relations & Public Affairs Section at WIPO:

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