WIPO

The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) is a United Nations specialized agency dedicated to the protection and promotion of intellectual property (IP) worldwide. It was established by the WIPO Convention in 1967 and became a UN specialized agency in 1974. The organization is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, and operates with member states, regional bureaus, and a global secretariat that carries out its programs and services.

WIPO’s mandate covers the development of a balanced and internationally harmonized IP system. It supports governments, businesses, and individuals in creating, protecting, and enforcing IP rights across borders. Its activities include policy development, standards setting, technical assistance and capacity building, dispute resolution, and information services. A major emphasis is on enabling innovation and creative activity, particularly in developing countries and least developed countries, through training, investment guidance, and technology transfer.

A key aspect of WIPO’s work is administering international treaties that facilitate cross-border IP protection. This includes instruments governing industrial property and copyright, such as the Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property, the Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works, the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT), the Madrid System for the International Registration of Marks, the Hague System for the International Registration of Designs, and the Lisbon Agreement for the Protection of Appellations of Origin.

Governance rests with a General Assembly of member states and various committees, while day-to-day operations are carried out by the Secretariat led by a Director General. WIPO maintains a network of global databases and services, including Patentscope (patent search), the Global Brand Database, the Global Design Database, and Madrid Monitor, and publishes IP statistics and World Intellectual Property Indicators.