| Description: |
The Inventor Assistance Program (IAP), an initiative of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), in cooperation with the World Economic Forum (the Forum), has been launched for the first time between 2015 and 2016 in three pilot countries. Given the interest it has raised worldwide and the positive results in the pilot countries, on October 2016 it has been decided to keep the IAP among WIPO programs and to extend it to new countries.
Currently, there are 55 registered patent attorneys in the framework of the Program, 21 inventors have already obtained pro bono assistance to protect their inventions and eight sponsors joined the IAP to support it.
With letter dated November 14, 2016 the Government of South Africa requested to become a participating country to the Inventor Assistance Program (IAP). With communication of July 26, 2017, the Companies and Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC) provided the requested information needed to assess the feasibility of the IAP in the country. Based on such data, the IAP Steering Committee, during its meeting held on October 6, 2017, decided to admit South Africa to the IAP and to launch the program in the country.
The meeting
The launching will take place in Pretoria (November 16, 2017) where an official ceremony will be organized. Such event will take place in the framework of the WIPO Patent Drafting Course that will be held in Pretoria on November 13 to 17, 2017, according to the attached program.
Local organizers led by Mr. Rory Voller, Commissioner, CIPC, are taking care of all logistics arrangements (see letter attached and correspondence).
As for WIPO’s contribution, it will finance the following:
• Participation of one WIPO Officials: Ms. Giulia Ragonesi, Associate Legal Officer, Patent Law Division;
• Reception for 60 people
The IAP Steering Committee Member will come self-financed.
WIPO Official will exploit this opportunity to have bilateral meeting on November 14 an |