World Intellectual Property Day is

observed Observation is the active acquisition of information from a primary source. In living beings, observation employs the senses. In science, observation can also involve the perception and recording of data (information), data via the use of scienti ...

annually on April 26. The event was established by 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) in 2000 to "

raise awareness Consciousness raising (also called awareness raising) is a form of activism popularized by United States feminists in the late 1960s. It often takes the form of a group of people attempting to focus the attention of a wider group on some cause or ...

of how

patents A patent is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the legal right to exclude others from making, using, or selling an invention for a limited period of time in exchange for publishing an enabling disclosure of the invention."A p ...

copyright A copyright is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the exclusive right to copy, distribute, adapt, display, and perform a creative work, usually for a limited time. The creative work may be in a literary, artistic, education ...

trademarks A trademark (also written trade mark or trade-mark) is a type of intellectual property consisting of a recognizable sign, design, or expression that identifies products or services from a particular source and distinguishes them from othe ...

and

designs A design is a plan or specification for the construction of an object or system or for the implementation of an activity or process or the result of that plan or specification in the form of a prototype, product, or process. The verb ''to design'' ...

impact on daily life" and "to celebrate creativity, and the contribution made by creators and

innovators Innovation is the practical implementation of ideas that result in the introduction of new goods or services or improvement in offering goods or services. ISO TC 279 in the standard ISO 56000:2020 defines innovation as "a new or changed entity ...

to the development of economies and societies across the globe". April 26 was chosen as the date fo
World Intellectual Property Day
because it coincides with the date on which the

Convention Establishing the World Intellectual Property Organization The WIPO Convention (formally, the Convention establishing the World Intellectual Property Organization) is the multilateral treaty that established the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). The convention was signed at Stockholm, S ...

entered into force in 1970. World Intellectual Property Day is WIPO’s largest

intellectual property Intellectual property (IP) is a category of property that includes intangible creations of the human intellect. There are many types of intellectual property, and some countries recognize more than others. The best-known types are patents, cop ...

(IP) public outreach campaign.WIPO web site
''World Intellectual Property Day – 26 April''
Accessed 20 April 2011.

History

In a statement to the 33^rd Session of the Assemblies of the Member States of WIPO in September 1988, the Director General of the National Algerian Institute for Industrial Property (INAPI) “suggested that an International Intellectual Property Day be instituted." In a subsequent letter to the WIPO Director General dated April 7 1999, Mr. Amor Bouhnik, Director General of INAPI noted that the aim of establishing such a day "would be to set up a framework for broader mobilization and awareness, to open up access to the promotional aspect of innovation and to recognize the achievements of promoters of intellectual property throughout the world." On August 9, 1999, in a letter from Jiang Ying, Commissioner of the State Intellectual Property Office of the People’s Republic of China, the Chinese delegation proposed "that WIPO adopt the commemoration of its 30^th anniversary of founding (26 April) as the “World Intellectual Property Day," as an annual event. The Commissioner noted that the aim of doing so was “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 Legal awareness, sometimes called public legal education or legal literacy, is the empowerment of individuals regarding issues involving the law.th session, the General Assembly of WIPO approved the idea of declaring a particular day as a World Intellectual Property Day. Engagement by WIPO’s member states in World Intellectual Property Day has risen since its inception in 2000. In its first year, member states from 59 countries reported official World Intellectual Property Day events. Five years later, in 2005, 110 countries reported official World Intellectual Property Day events, and in 2022, the campaign attracted users from 189 member states.

World Intellectual Property Day events around the world

Every year hundreds of events are organized around the world by IP offices, law firms, private companies, students and others to celebrate inventors and creators and to promote understanding about the

system and its associated rights (e.g.

copyrights A copyright is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the exclusive right to copy, distribute, adapt, display, and perform a creative work, usually for a limited time. The creative work may be in a literary, artistic, education ...

design rights An industrial design right is an intellectual property right that protects the visual design of objects that are purely utilitarian. An industrial design consists of the creation of a shape, configuration or composition of pattern or color, or c ...

trade secrets Trade secrets are a type of intellectual property that includes formulas, practices, processes, designs, instruments, patterns, or compilations of information that have inherent economic value because they are not generally known or readily as ...

plant variety rights Plant breeders' rights (PBR), also known as plant variety rights (PVR), are rights granted to the breeder of a new variety of plant that give the breeder exclusive control over the propagating material (including seed, cuttings, divisions, tissue ...

). World Intellectual Property Day events are an opportunity to explore different aspects of the intellectual property system and how innovators, creators and businesses can use it to add value to their ingenuity and creativity. It is also an opportunity shine a light on the IP system’s role in supporting economic, social and cultural development for the benefit of everyone, everywhere. At its core, the IP system seeks to balance the interests of inventors and creators with those of the general public through the grant of time-limited rights that meet pre-established conditions as set out in

international treaties A treaty is a formal, legally binding written agreement between actors in international law. It is usually made by and between sovereign states, but can include international organizations, individuals, business entities, and other legal perso ...

negotiated by

WIPO The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO; french: link=no, Organisation mondiale de la propriété intellectuelle (OMPI)) is one of the 15 specialized agencies of the United Nations (UN). Pursuant to the 1967 Convention Establishin ...

’s member states. During the period in which the rights are valid (this varies according to the right concerned), the holder of that right holds exclusive rights. This means they may determine who may or may not exploit their work and the terms under which they may do so. After that time-period has lapsed, the IP-protected work falls into the public domain and may be used by anyone without the obligation to first seek permission from the rights owner. WIPO’s role is to lead the development of a balanced intellectual property system.The laws governing intellectual property at the international level are enshrined in various international treaties administered by WIPO. These international treaties have been negotiated by member states since the emergence of the international IP system in 1883 following the conclusion of the Paris Convention for the International Protection of Industrial Property. The so-called Paris Convention and 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 ...

, concluded in 1886, are the pillars of the international IP system and the foundations of the International Bureaux for the Protection of Intellectual Property (BIRPI), the organization, which preceded WIPO before the entry into force of the Convention establishing WIPO in 1970. While World Intellectual Property Day is celebrated every year on April 26, many countries hold their World Intellectual Property Day celebrations on another date. Some, including Peru and Singapore, organize a World Intellectual Property Day week, while others, such as Algeria, roll events out over a month. While WIPO identifies a theme and produces a range of promotional materials around that theme, each country may develop its own national campaign in line with local needs. For World Intellectual Property Day 2022, nearly 600 World Intellectual Property Day events were recorded across the globe on topical issues relating to the campaign them
''IP and Youth: Innovating for a Better Future''
ranging from the protection of comics in Peru, to IP and the blockchain. World Intellectual Property Day is also an opportunity for leading policymakers to express their support for World Intellectual Property Day and to highlight the relevance of intellectual property to regional and national economic development. World Intellectual Property Day 2022 also featured a panel discussion on ''Innovating for Better Health: Supporting Young Innovators through IP'', was organized in collaboration with the

International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers & Associations The International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers & Associations (IFPMA) is a trade association that represents leading innovative pharmaceutical companies at the international level and in official relations with the United Nations. I ...

(IFPMA) with the support of the Geneva Health Forum and Speak UP Africa. The event brought together young innovators/entrepreneurs and mentors from Cameroon, Colombia, Nepal, Uganda, and the Philippines as well as various international experts. It was followed by a musical program featuring music from: World IP Day 2022- Live Music Reception - 52033427851

World IP Day 2022- Live Music Reception - 52033427851

*Anaïs – An acoustic singer, multi-instrumentalist with an indie folk sound and jazz influences. *Kathyta Fuentes – A Chilean singer and founder of the musical group SUYAI, whose repertoire is inspired by the Latin American Folklorika. *LUVANGA - An amapiano artist who blends hip-hop, afrobeats, house, and pop melodies to explore Afro-diasporic sonic futurities; and * Stogie-T – A Tanzanian-born, South African hip-hop pioneer whose uncompromising lyricism continues to speak truth to power. World Intellectual Property Day 2022 also featured the firs
World Intellectual Day Youth Video Competition
In the Report of the Director General

Daren Tang Daren Tang Heng Shim (born 1972) (Chinese: 邓鸿森) is the fifth and current Director General of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). He is also Secretary-General of the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of ...

to the Assemblies of WIPO in July 2022, WIPO Director General said, ''I am also happy to report that this year's World Intellectual Property Day attracted record global engagement''. T''hemed around ‘IP and Youth: Innovating for a Better Future’, we recorded over 15 million impressions across our digital platforms and there were nearly 600 World Intellectual Property Day events across 189 Member States, our largest participation ever.''

Themes

Each year, the campaign is rolled out around a topical theme: * 2023 – ''Women and IP: Accelerating Innovation and Creativity'' * 2022 – ''IP and Youth: Innovating for a Better Future'' * 2021 – ''IP and SMEs: Taking Your Ideas to Market'' *2020 – ''Innovate for a Green Future'' * 2019 – ''Reach for Gold: IP and Sports'' * 2018 – ''Powering Change: Women in Innovation and Creativity'' * 2017 – ''Innovation – Improving Lives'' * 2016 – ''Digital Creativity: Culture Reimagined.'' * 2015 – ''Get Up, Stand Up. For Music.'' * 2014 – ''Movies – a Global Passion'' * 2013 – ''Creativity – The Next Generation'' * 2012 – ''Visionary Innovators'' * 2011 – ''Designing the Future'' * 2010 – ''Innovation – Linking the World'' * 2009 – ''Green Innovation'' * 2008 – ''Celebrating innovation and promoting respect for intellectual property'' * 2007 – ''Encouraging Creativity'' * 2006 – ''It Starts with an Idea'' * 2005 – ''Think, Imagine, Create'' * 2004 – ''Encouraging Creativity'' * 2003 – ''Make Intellectual Property Your Business'' * 2002 – ''Encouraging Creativity'' * 2001 – ''Creating the Future Today''

Criticism

This event has been criticized by a number of activists and scholars as one-sided propaganda in favor of traditional copyright, ignoring alternatives related to

copyleft Copyleft is the legal technique of granting certain freedoms over copies of copyrighted works with the requirement that the same rights be preserved in derivative works. In this sense, ''freedoms'' refers to the use of the work for any purpose, ...

and the

free culture movement The free-culture movement is a social movement that promotes the freedom to distribute and modify the creative works of others in the form of free content or open content without compensation to, or the consent of, the work's original creators, ...

.
Mike Masnick of ''

Techdirt Techdirt is an American Internet blog that reports on technology's legal challenges and related business and economic policy issues, in context of the digital revolution. It focuses on intellectual property, patent, information privacy and cop ...

'' wrote that World Intellectual Property Day is intended "to promote ever greater

protectionism Protectionism, sometimes referred to as trade protectionism, is the economic policy of restricting imports from other countries through methods such as tariffs on imported goods, import quotas, and a variety of other government regulations. ...

and

mercantilism Mercantilism is an economic policy that is designed to maximize the exports and minimize the imports for an economy. It promotes imperialism, colonialism, tariffs and subsidies on traded goods to achieve that goal. The policy aims to reduce a ...

in favor of copyright holders and patent holders, while ignoring any impact on the public of those things. It's a fairly disgusting distortion of the claimed intent of intellectual property." Zak Rogoff of the ''

Defective by Design Defective by Design (DBD) is an anti-DRM initiative by the Free Software Foundation. Digital rights management (DRM) technology restricts users' ability to freely use their purchased movies, music, literature, software, and hardware in ways the ...

'' noted that it is a "global but decidedly not grassroots event". It has also been criticized by activists from civil society organizations such as IP Justice and the

Electronic Information for Libraries Electronic Information for Libraries (EIFL) works with libraries worldwide to enable access to digital information for people in developing and transition countries. They are an international not-for-profit organisation based in Vilnius with a gl ...

who consider it one-sided propaganda as the marketing materials associated with the event, provided by WIPO, "come across as unrepresentative of other views and events".

Michael Geist Michael Allen Geist (born July 11, 1968) is a Canadian academic, the Canada Research Chair in Internet and E-Commerce Law at the University of Ottawa and a member of the Centre for Law, Technology and Society. Geist was educated at the Univers ...

, a law professor at the University of Ottawa, noted that "World Intellectual Property Day has become little more than a lobbyist day". Cushla Kapitzk from the Queensland University of Technology wrote that most of the WIPO's statements related to promotion of the World Intellectual Property Day are "either exaggerated or unsubstantiated"; noting that for example one of WIPO's claims used to promote this event, namely that "copyright helps bring music to our ears and art, films and literature before our eyes" is "tenuous at best, and lexical association of copyright with things recognised as having social and cultural value ('art', 'film' and 'literature') functions to legitimate its formulation and widespread application". A number of grassroots-supported observances in opposition of prevalent IP laws celebrated by the World Intellectual Property Day exist, none of them supported by WIPO: *

Culture Freedom Day Culture Freedom Day is an observance of free culture. It takes place annually on the third Saturday of May. It aims at educating the worldwide public about the benefits of using and encouraging free culture as well as providing an international da ...

Document Freedom Day Document Freedom Day (DFD) is an annual event to "celebrate and raise awareness of Open Standards". It is celebrated on the last Wednesday of March each year. Document Freedom Day was first celebrated on 26 March 2008, and has continued to be cele ...

Hardware Freedom Day Hardware Freedom Day is an annual celebration organized by the Digital Freedom Foundation. The goal of Hardware Freedom Day is to celebrate the spirit of Open-source hardware, open hardware and make more people aware of using and contributing to fr ...

International Day Against DRM International Day Against DRM (IDAD), sometimes called just Day Against DRM or anti-DRM day, is a grassroots international observance of protests against digital rights management (DRM) technology. The event is intended as "a counterpoint to the ...

Public Domain Day Public Domain Day (PDD) is an observance of when copyrights expire and works enter into the public domain. This legal transition of copyright works into the public domain usually happens every year on January 1 based on the individual copyright ...

Software Freedom Day Software Freedom Day (SFD) is an annual worldwide celebration of Free Software organized by the Digital Freedom Foundation (DFF). SFD is a public education effort with the aim of increasing awareness of Free Software and its virtues, and enc ...

References

External links

World Intellectual Property Day
at the