World Intellectual Property Day and 50th anniversary of the WIPO Convention on 26 April 2020

World Intellectual Property Day and 50th anniversary of the WIPO Convention on 26 April 2020

The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) celebrates World Intellectual Property Day (World IP Day) every April 26 with the aim to “learn about the role that Intellectual Property (IP) rights play in encouraging innovation and creativity”. This year 2020, the WIPO Convention turns 50 on the same day. Two reasons for celebrating and for dedicating this day a very important topic: “Innovate for a Green Future”. 

ipday2020_profile_picture_social_media_2_1.png

The goal is to highlight that tasks of development and innovation are also carving a pathway to a green future and accepting responsibility for the future: “The earth is our home. We need to care for it”. And we need to do it now. Another goal of the campaign is to pay respect to inventors who are already working on a greener future and use IP rights to support and to market their work.

With the World IP Day, WIPO wishes to offer an opportunity for interested people in the IP world to join with others around the globe to elaborate and to celebrate how IP rights may help supporting a green future by technological innovation: “a balanced IP system recognizes and rewards inventors and creators for their work and ensures that society benefits from their creativity and ingenuity”. 

But how will this be celebrated? A lot of events will be organized around the world which can be attended, like webinars, conferences, national award ceremonies, workshops and exhibitions (check out the World IP Day events map under https://www.wipo.int/ip-outreach/en/ipday/2019/map.html). And everyone (interested people, like law offices, universities, organizations, companies) can organize an event on his or her own. WIPO has published a list of event ideas for inspiration and allows to use their free publicity materials and social media kit to promote events. Finally, own events can be added to the World IP Day events map. It is WIPO’s expressive wish that World IP Day is celebrated globally and anyone can take part in the campaign (and likewise be part of the campaign).

This year, WIPO and the whole IP world have double cause for celebrating: the 50th anniversary of the enforcement of the WIPO Convention and, coincidently, of WIPO, falls on the same date as World IP Day, namely 26 April 2020. The origins of WIPO go back to 1883 and 1886 when the Paris Convention (for the Protection of Industrial Property) and the Berne Convention (for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works) each established an “International Bureau”. The two bureaus were united in 1893. By virtue of the WIPO Convention – which entered in force on 26 April 1970 – WIPO replaced these two bureaus.

For more information as to the World IP Day or the WIPO, please refer to WIPO’s website under https://www.wipo.int/ip-outreach/en/ipday/