The United International Bureaux for the Protection of Intellectual Property (BIRPI) was an international organization. It was set up in 1893 to administer the

Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works The Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works, usually known as the Berne Convention, was an international assembly held in 1886 in the Swiss city of Bern by ten European countries with the goal to agree on a set of l ...

and the

Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property The Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property, signed in Paris, France, on 20 March 1883, was one of the first intellectual property treaties. It established a Union for the protection of industrial property. The convention is c ...

. The BIRPI is the predecessor of the

World Intellectual Property Organization The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO; french: link=no, Organisation mondiale de la propriété intellectuelle (OMPI)) is one of the list of specialized agencies of the United Nations, 15 specialized agencies of the United Nation ...

(WIPO). BIRPI is an acronym for ''Bureaux Internationaux Réunis pour la Protection de la Propriété Intellectuelle'' ( French for "United International Bureaux for the Protection of Intellectual Property").

History

1883 - Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property

In 1873, a pressing issue became evident for creators, in that they feared that others would steal their ideas since there was no way to regulate such things. Many exhibitors chose not to attend the International Exhibition of Inventions in Vienna, Austria that year. In 1883, the Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property came about to address this issue, and became the first step in intellectual property protection.

1886 - Berne Convention

There were still some gaps in protection after the Paris Convention, so in 1886, there was the Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works. This meant that creative works, such as music, books, and paintings, were also given protections.

1893 - BIRPI established

In 1893, the International Bureau established by the Paris Convention and the International Bureau established by Berne Convention, both to carry out administrative tasks, merged to form the BIRPI.

1960 - Move

Originally based in

Bern german: Berner(in)french: Bernois(e) it, bernese , neighboring_municipalities = Bremgarten bei Bern, Frauenkappelen, Ittigen, Kirchlindach, Köniz, Mühleberg, Muri bei Bern, Neuenegg, Ostermundigen, Wohlen bei Bern, Zollikofen , website ...

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

, the BIRPI moved to

Geneva Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaki ...

in 1960.

1970 - Name Change Convention

The BIRPI changed to the WIPO (World Intellectual Property Organization). The Convention changed the name, while also making it an intergovernmental organization which is led by member-states.

Beyond

The last director of the BIRPI was

Georg Bodenhausen Georg Hendrik Christiaan BodenhausenAdolf Sprudzs, Hague Academy of International Law, ''The Hague Scholars Index to Portraits, Biographies, and Principal Publications of Scholars Who Lectured at the Hague Academy of International Law from 1947 to ...

References

1893 in law 1893 in international relations Organizations established in 1893 Former international organizations Intellectual property organizations Intergovernmental organizations established by treaty World Intellectual Property Organization Organisations based in Bern Organisations based in Geneva {{international-law-stub