World Intellectual Property Day

World Intellectual Property Day
Date	26 April
Next time	26 April 2017
Frequency	annual
Related to	Inventors' Day, World Book and Copyright Day

World Intellectual Property Day is observed annually on 26 April.^[1] The event was established by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) in 2000 to "raise awareness of how patents, copyright, trademarks and designs impact on daily life" and "to celebrate creativity, and the contribution made by creators and innovators to the development of societies across the globe".^[1] 26 April was chosen as the date for World Intellectual Property Day because it coincides with the date on which the Convention Establishing the World Intellectual Property Organization entered into force in 1970.

An exhibition showing the intellectual property (IP) behind Steve Jobs’ innovations opened to the public at WIPO on 30 March 2012 and ran through to World Intellectual Property Day on 26 April 2012. The exhibition tied in with 2012’s World Intellectual Property Day theme – 'Visionary Innovators'.

History

Following a statement made at the Assembly of the Member States of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) in September 1998, the Director General of the National Algerian Institute for Industrial Property (INAPI) proposed on 7 April 1999 the institutionalisation of an international day for intellectual property, with the aim of

"[setting up] a framework for broader mobilization and awareness, [opening up] access to the promotional aspect of innovation and [recognizing] the achievements of promoters of intellectual property throughout the world."^[2]

On 9 August 1999, the Chinese delegation to the WIPO proposed the adoption of the "World Intellectual Property Day"

"in order to further promote the awareness of intellectual property protection, expand the influence of intellectual property protection across the world, urge countries to publicize and popularize intellectual property protection laws and regulations, enhance the public legal awareness of intellectual property rights, encourage invention-innovation activities in various countries and strengthen international exchange in the intellectual property field".^[3]

In October 1999, the General Assembly of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) approved the idea of declaring a particular day as a World Intellectual Property Day.^[4]

Themes

Each year, a message or theme is associated with the event:

• 2001 – Creating the Future Today
• 2002 – Encouraging Creativity
• 2003 – Make Intellectual Property Your Business
• 2004 – Encouraging Creativity
• 2005 – Think, Imagine, Create
• 2006 – It Starts With An Idea
• 2007 – Encouraging Creativity
• 2008 – Celebrating innovation and promoting respect for intellectual property^[5]
• 2009 – Green Innovation^[6]
• 2010 – Innovation – Linking the World^[7]
• 2011 – Designing the Future^[8]
• 2012 – Visionary Innovators^[9]
• 2013 – Creativity - The Next Generation^[10]
• 2014 – Movies – a Global Passion^[11]
• 2015 – Get Up, Stand Up. For Music.^[12]
• 2016 – Digital Creativity: Culture Reimagined.^[13]

See also

• Inventors' Day (in some countries)
• World Book and Copyright Day

Observances in opposition of prevalent IP laws

• Public Domain Day
• Culture Freedom Day
• Software Freedom Day
• Hardware Freedom Day

References

1. WIPO web site, World Intellectual Property Day – 26 April. Consulted on 20 April 2011.
2. Letter of 7 April 1999 from Amor Bouhnik, Director General of the National Algerian Institute for Industrial Property, to the Director General of WIPO (Ref: 027 DG/MS/99) in World Intellectual Property Organization web site, WIPO General Assembly, Twenty-Fourth (14th Ordinary) Session, Geneva, 20 to 29 September 1999, Institutionalization of an International Day for Intellectual Property. Proposal by the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria at the Wayback Machine (archived December 22, 2003), WO/GA/24/7, 10 August 1999.
3. Letter dated 9 August 1999 from Jiang Ying, Commissioner of the State Intellectual Property Office of the People's Republic of China, to Dr. Kamil Idris, Director General of World Intellectual Property Organization, Geneva, Switzerland, in World Intellectual Property Organization web site, WIPO General Assembly, Twenty-Fourth (14th Ordinary) Session, Geneva, 20 to 29 September 1999, Institutionalization of a World Intellectual Property Day. Proposal by the People's Republic of China at the Wayback Machine (archived December 22, 2003), 20 August 1999.
4. World Intellectual Property Organization, WIPO General Assembly, Twenty-Sixth (12th Extraordinary) Session, Geneva, 25 September to 3 October 2000, Memorandum of the Director General, WO/GA/26/2, 26 July 2000.
5. UK Intellectual Property Office (UKIPO) web site, World Intellectual Property Day, 26 April 2008, Celebrating innovation and promoting respect for intellectual property, Events, World IP Day. Consulted on 27 March 2008.
6. WIPO. "World Intellectual Property Day 2009". Wipo.int. Retrieved 2012-09-12.
7. WIPO. "World Intellectual Property Day 2010". Wipo.int. Retrieved 2012-09-12.
8. WIPO. "World Intellectual Property Day 2011". Wipo.int. Retrieved 2012-09-12.
9. WIPO. "World Intellectual Property Day 2012". Wipo.int. Retrieved 2012-09-12.
10. WIPO. "World Intellectual Property Day 2013". Wipo.int. Retrieved 2013-04-03.
11. WIPO. "World Intellectual Property Day 2014". Wipo.int. Retrieved 2014-03-10.
12. WIPO. "World Intellectual Property Day 2015". Wipo.int. Retrieved 2016-02-18.
13. WIPO. "World Intellectual Property Day 2016". Wipo.int. Retrieved 2016-02-18.

External links

• World Intellectual Property Day at the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)
  • World IP Day Archives
• The EPO and the World Intellectual Property Day on the European Patent Office web site.
• World Intellectual Property Day on the South African Company Intellectual Property Registration Office (CIPRO) web site.
• World Intellectual Property Day on the Canadian Intellectual Property Office (CIPO) web site.
• Heroes and villains of World Intellectual Property Day on Out-Law.com