SafekipediaWorld Intellectual Property Organization
Adapted from Wikipedia · Adventurer experience
The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) is one of the 15 specialized agencies of the United Nations. It helps protect ideas and creations, called intellectual property, all over the world. WIPO started working on April 26, 1970. Today, it is led by Daren Tang from Singapore.
WIPO helps countries make rules to protect inventions, art, and other creative works. It offers services to register these creations internationally and helps solve problems when countries disagree. WIPO also shares information about how well different places protect new ideas.
WIPO manages 26 international agreements on many topics, such as movies and inventions. The main office is in Geneva, Switzerland, with other offices in places like Brazil, China, Japan, Nigeria, Russia, and Singapore. Most of its money comes from fees for its services.
Right now, WIPO has 194 members, including almost all UN member states and a few other areas like the Cook Islands and the Holy See. Only a few countries recognized by the UN, such as Palau and South Sudan, are not members.
History
Pre BIRPI
1883 – Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property
Main article: Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property
The Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property was made in 1883. It was one of the first agreements to help protect inventors' ideas and brand names in many countries. It covered inventions, brand names, and designs.
1886 – Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works
Main article: Berne Convention
The Berne Convention began in 1886. It helped protect books, music, and art so creators could control how their work was used in other countries.
1891 – Madrid Agreement Concerning the International Registration of Marks
Main article: Madrid Agreement Concerning the International Registration of Marks
In 1891, some countries made an agreement to make it easier to register brand names in many places around the world.
BIRPI
Main article: BIRPI
In 1893, Switzerland combined offices that managed these agreements into one group called BIRPI. This group helped protect ideas and creations internationally.
Formation of WIPO
WIPO was officially created on April 26, 1970. It works to help countries protect inventions, art, and brands around the world. Each year on this date, World Intellectual Property Day is celebrated to remind people how important these protections are.
WIPO joining the United Nations
In 1974, WIPO became part of the United Nations. This helped it work more closely with other countries and organizations to support creativity and share technology fairly.
WIPO Development agenda
In 2004, WIPO agreed to focus more on helping all countries, especially developing ones, benefit from protecting ideas and sharing knowledge.
Recent events
In 2016, WIPO encouraged countries to work together through a major global plan to use its tools to protect their inventions and creations.
In 2022, WIPO, together with the World Health Organization and the World Trade Organization, started a new help program to support countries during the COVID-19 pandemic. This program helps countries build their abilities to handle health challenges.
Global services
Patent Cooperation Treaty
Main article: Patent Cooperation Treaty
The Patent Cooperation Treaty from 1970 helps people, companies, and groups protect their inventions in many countries. You can apply for a patent in one place, in one language, and within a year from your first application. This single application works like applying in every country that follows the treaty.
Madrid System
Main article: Madrid System
The Madrid System makes it easier to protect brand names, like logos, in many countries. Created in 1891, it lets you apply for protection in over 120 countries with just one application, in one language, and with one payment. You can update or renew this protection through WIPO, instead of going to each country separately.
Lisbon System
Main article: Lisbon System for the International Registration of Appellations of Origin
The Lisbon System helps protect special products that come from specific places, like cheese from one area or pottery from another country. These products have qualities because of where they are made. Examples include Comté cheese from France, Tequila from Mexico, and Porto from Portugal. With one application and payment, you can get protection in many countries that use this system.
WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center
The WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center, started in 1994, helps solve disagreements about inventions and technology without going to court. It offers ways to talk things out, like mediation and arbitration, for disputes between businesses. It also helps with problems about website names. The center is based in Geneva, Switzerland, and has an office in Singapore.
Hague System
Main article: WIPO Hague System
The WIPO Hague System makes it easier to protect creative designs, like how products look, in many countries. You can apply for up to 100 designs with one application, in one language, and pay in one currency. Each country decides how long and how the design is protected. Anyone from a country that uses this system can apply, including members of the European Union or the African Intellectual Property Organization.
Funding
The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) gets most of its money from fees paid by people using its services, not from countries. In 2020, WIPO earned about CHF 468.3 million. Almost all of this money came from fees for helping with patents, trademarks, and designs. These services are offered through agreements like the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT), the Madrid System and the Hague System.
Governance and normative work
WIPO Assemblies bring together people who help make global rules for protecting ideas and inventions. The main groups that make decisions for WIPO are the Coordination Committee and the General Assembly. These groups meet often to talk about important matters and pick leaders for WIPO.
Standing committees are special groups of experts. They talk about and plan for the future of protecting ideas. They can also make smaller groups to study specific topics.
WIPO helps manage 26 important agreements, including the WIPO Convention. These agreements set basic rules for protecting ideas in countries around the world.
Global protection system treaties make sure that one international registration or filing works in any country that has agreed to follow the rules.
Classification treaties create systems that help organize information about inventions, trademarks, and designs.
| Name | Description | History |
|---|---|---|
| Beijing Treaty on Audiovisual Performances | The Beijing Treaty on Audiovisual Performances is a multilateral treaty which regulates copyright for audiovisual performances and expands the performers' rights. It was adopted on 26 June 2012 by the Diplomatic Conference on the Protection of Audiovisual Performances of the World Intellectual Property Organization, in which 156 WIPO member states, six intergovernmental, and six non-governmental organizations participated. Forty-eight countries signed the treaty on 26 June, followed by 19 other countries in 2012 and 2013. The treaty entered into force on 28 April 2020 following the receipt of the 30th ratification or accession and as of September 2025 has 48 contracting parties. | Adopted on 26 June 2012. Entered into force on 28 April 2020 |
| Berne Convention | 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 of agreeing on a set of legal principles for the protection of original work and intellectual property. They drafted and adopted a multi-party contract containing agreements for a uniform, border-crossing system that became known under the same name. Its rules have been updated many times since then. The treaty provides authors, musicians, poets, painters, and other creators with the means to control how their works are used, by whom, and on what terms. In some jurisdictions these types of rights are referred to as copyright; on the European continent they are generally referred to as authors' rights. | Adopted in 1886. Last amended on 28 September 1979 |
| Brussels Convention Relating to the Distribution of Programme-Carrying Signals Transmitted by Satellite | The Brussels or Satellites Convention provides for the obligation of each Contracting State to take adequate measures to prevent the unauthorized distribution on or from its territory of any programme-carrying signal transmitted by satellite. | Adopted in 1974 |
| Madrid Agreement for the Repression of False or Deceptive Indications of Source on Goods | According to the Madrid Agreement, all goods bearing a false or deceptive indication of source, by which one of the Contracting States, or a place situated therein, is directly or indirectly indicated as being the country or place of origin, must be seized on importation, or such importation must be prohibited, or other actions and sanctions must be applied in connection with such importation. This Agreement provides for the cases and the manner in which seizure may be requested and effected. It prohibits the use, in connection with the sale, display or offering for sale of any goods, of all indications in the nature of publicity capable of deceiving the public as to the source of the goods. It is reserved to the courts of each Contracting State to decide which appellations (other than regional appellations concerning the source of products of the vine) do not, on account of their generic character, come within the scope of the Agreement. The Agreement does not provide for the establishment of a Union, governing body or budget. | Adopted on 14 April 1891, revised at Washington on 2 June 1911, at The Hague on 6 November 1925, at London on 2 June 1934, and at Lisbon on 31 October 1958, supplemented by the Additional Act of Stockholm of 14 July 1967 |
| Marrakesh VIP Treaty | The Marrakesh VIP Treaty (formally the Marrakesh Treaty to Facilitate Access to Published Works for Persons who are Blind, Visually Impaired or Otherwise Print Disabled, colloquially Marrakesh Treaty or MVT) is a treaty on copyright adopted in Marrakesh, Morocco, on 27 June 2013. It achieved the deposit of 20 instruments of ratification or accession by eligible parties needed for entry into force on June 30, 2016 and entered into force three months later, on September 30, 2016. As of April 14, 2025, the treaty has 101 contracting parties covering 127 WIPO Member States because the European Union joined as a block. | Adopted on 27 June 2013 |
| Nairobi Treaty on the Protection of the Olympic Symbol | The Nairobi Treaty intend to protect the Olympic symbol – five interlaced rings – against use for commercial purposes without the authorization of the International Olympic Committee. | Adopted at Nairobi on 26 September 1981 |
| 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, is one of the first intellectual property treaties. It established a Union for the protection of industrial property. The convention is in force, with the substantive provisions of the Convention falling into three main categories: national treatment, priority right and common rules. | Adopted on 20 March 1883, revised at Brussels on 14 December 1900, at Washington on 2 June 1911, at The Hague on 6 November 1925, at London on 2 June 1934, at Lisbon on 31 October 1958, and at Stockholm on 14 July 1967, and amended on 28 September 1979 |
| Patent Law Treaty | The Patent Law Treaty (PLT) is a treaty adopted by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) signed on 1 June 2000 in Geneva, Switzerland, by 53 States and the European Patent Organisation (EPOrg, an intergovernmental organization). It entered into force on April 28, 2005. It aims at harmonizing and streamlining formal procedures such as the requirements to obtain a filing date for a patent application, the form and content of a patent application, and representation. The treaty "does not establish a uniform procedure for all parties to the PLT but leaves parties free to require fewer or more user-friendly requirements than those provided in the PLT." As of February 2023, the PLT had 43 contracting states. | Adopted at Geneva on 1 June 2000 |
| Geneva Phonograms Convention | The Convention for the Protection of Producers of Phonograms Against Unauthorized Duplication of Their Phonograms, also known as the Geneva Phonograms Convention, is a 1971 international agreement relating to copyright protection for sound recordings. | Adopted in Geneva in October 1971 |
| Riyadh Design Law Treaty | The Riyadh Design Law Treaty (RDLT) was adopted on November 22, 2024, and will enter into force three months after there have been 15 ratifications or accessions. The objective of the Treaty is to streamline the procedures for design protection. By making the procedures less complex and more predictable, the RDLT helps designers to protect their work both in home markets and abroad. | Adopted on November 22, 2024 |
| Rome Convention for the Protection of Performers, Producers of Phonograms and Broadcasting Organizations | The Rome Convention for the Protection of Performers, Producers of Phonograms and Broadcasting Organisations also known as the International Convention for the Protection of Performers, Producers of Phonograms and Broadcasting Organisations and the Rome Convention, secures protection in performances for performers, in phonograms for producers of phonograms (also known as sound recordings) and in broadcasts for broadcasting organizations. | Adopted in 1961 |
| Singapore Treaty on the Law of Trademarks | The objective of the Singapore Treaty is to create an international framework for the harmonization of administrative trademark registration procedures. It builds on the Trademark Law Treaty of 1994 (TLT), but has a wider scope of application and addresses more recent developments in the field of communication technologies. | Adopted at Singapore on 27 March 2006 |
| Trademark Law Treaty | The aim of the Trademark Law Treaty (TLT) is to standardize and streamline national and regional trademark registration procedures. This is achieved through the simplification and harmonization of certain features of those procedures, thus making trademark applications and the administration of trademark registrations in multiple jurisdictions less complex and more predictable. | Adopted at Geneva on 27 October 1994 |
| Washington Treaty on Intellectual Property in Respect of Integrated Circuits | The Washington Treaty was adopted in 1989. It is meant to provide protection for the layout designs (topographies) of integrated circuits. As of 2023, the Treaty has not yet entered into force, but has been ratified or acceded to by 10 countries. See also Integrated circuit layout design protection. | Adopted at Washington on 26 May 1989 (not yet entered into force). |
| WIPO Copyright Treaty | The World Intellectual Property Organization Copyright Treaty (WIPO Copyright Treaty or WCT) is an international treaty on copyright law adopted by the member states of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) in 1996. It provides additional protections for copyright to respond to advances in information technology since the formation of previous copyright treaties before it. As of August 2023, the treaty has 115 contracting parties. The WCT and WIPO Performances and Phonograms Treaty, are together termed WIPO "internet treaties". | Adopted in 1996 |
| WIPO GRATK Treaty | The WIPO Treaty on Intellectual Property, Genetic Resources and Associated Traditional Knowledge (or GRATK) was adopted on May 24, 2024. The Treaty is an international legal instrument to combat biopiracy. It establishes a mandatory patent disclosure requirement – this requires patent applicants to disclose the country of origin of the genetic resources and/or the Indigenous Peoples or local community providing the associated traditional knowledge, if the claimed inventions are based on genetic resources and/or associated traditional knowledge. | Adopted in 2024 |
| WIPO Performances and Phonograms Treaty | The WIPO Performances and Phonograms Treaty (or WPPT) is an international treaty adopted in Geneva on 20 December 1996. It came into effect on 20 May 2002. The treaty deals with the rights of two kinds of beneficiaries, particularly in the digital environment: performers (actors, singers, musicians, etc.); and producers of phonograms (persons or legal entities that take the initiative and have the responsibility for the fixation of sounds). | Adopted in 1996 |
| Name | Description | History |
|---|---|---|
| Budapest Treaty on the International Recognition of the Deposit of Microorganisms for the Purposes of Patent Procedure | The Budapest Treaty on the International Recognition of the Deposit of Microorganisms for the Purposes of Patent Procedure, or Budapest Treaty, is an international treaty signed in Budapest, Hungary, on April 28, 1977. It entered into force on August 19, 1980, and was later amended on September 26, 1980. The treaty is administered by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). | Done at Budapest on 28 April 1977, and amended on 26 September 1980 |
| Hague Agreement Concerning the International Deposit of Industrial Designs | The Hague Agreement Concerning the International Deposit of Industrial Designs, also known as the Hague system, provides a mechanism for registering an industrial design in several countries by means of a single application, filed in one language, with one set of fees. The system is administered by WIPO. | Of 6 November 1925, revised at London on 2 June 1934, at The Hague on 28 November 1960, supplemented by the Additional Act of Monaco of 18 November 1961, the Complementary Act of Stockholm of 14 July 1967 amended on 28 September 1979, and the Protocol of Geneva on 29 August 1975, and at Geneva on 2 July 1999 |
| Lisbon Agreement for the Protection of Appellations of Origin and their International Registration | The Lisbon Agreement for the Protection of Appellations of Origin and their International Registration, signed on 31 October 1958, ensures that in member countries, appellations of origin receive protection when they are protected in their country of origin. It lays down provisions for what qualifies as an appellation of origin, protection measures, and establishes an International Register of Appellations of Origin, run by the World Intellectual Property Organization. The agreement came into force in 1966, and was revised at Stockholm (1967) and amended in 1979 and 2015. As of July 2022, 39 states are party to the convention, and 1000 appellations of origin have been registered. | Of 31 October 1958, revised at Stockholm on 14 July 1967, amended on 28 September 1979, and the Geneva Act adopted by the Diplomatic Conference on 20 May 2015 |
| Madrid Agreement Concerning the International Registration of Marks | The Madrid System for the International Registration of Marks is governed by the Madrid Agreement, concluded in 1891, and the Protocol relating to that Agreement, concluded in 1989. The system makes it possible to protect a mark in a large number of countries by obtaining an international registration that has effect in each of the designated Contracting Parties. | Of 14 April 1891, revised at Brussels on 14 December 1900, at Washington on 2 June 1911, at The Hague on 6 November 1925, at London on 2 June 1934, at Nice on 15 June 1957, and at Stockholm on 14 July 1967, and amended on 28 September 1979 |
| Protocol Relating to the Madrid Agreement Concerning the International Registration of Marks | The Madrid System for the International Registration of Marks is governed by the Madrid Agreement, concluded in 1891, and the Protocol relating to that Agreement, concluded in 1989. The system makes it possible to protect a mark in a large number of countries by obtaining an international registration that has effect in each of the designated Contracting Parties. | Adopted at Madrid on 27 June 1989, amended on 3 October 2006 and on 12 November 2007 |
| Patent Cooperation Treaty | The Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) is an international patent law treaty, concluded in 1970. It provides a unified procedure for filing patent applications to protect inventions in each of its contracting states. A patent application filed under the PCT is called an international application, or PCT application. | Done at Washington on 19 June 1970, amended on 28 September 1979, modified on 3 February 1984, and on 3 October 2001 |
| Name | Description | History |
|---|---|---|
| Locarno Agreement Establishing an International Classification for Industrial Designs | The Locarno Agreement establishes a classification for industrial designs (the Locarno Classification) | Signed at Locarno on 8 October 1968, and amended on 28 September 1979 |
| Nice Agreement Concerning the International Classification of Goods and Services for the Purposes of the Registration of Marks | International Classification of Goods and Services also known as the Nice Classification was established by the Nice Agreement (1957), is a system of classifying goods and services for the purpose of registering trademarks. It is updated every five years and its latest 11th version of the system groups products into 45 classes (classes 1-34 include goods and classes 35-45 embrace services), and allows users seeking to trademark a good or service to choose from these classes as appropriate. Since the system is recognized in numerous countries, this makes applying for trademarks internationally a more streamlined process. The classification system is specified by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). | Of 15 June 1957, revised at Stockholm on 14 July 1967, and at Geneva on 13 May 1977, and amended on 28 September 1979 |
| Strasbourg Agreement Concerning the International Patent Classification | The Strasbourg Agreement Concerning the International Patent Classification (or IPC), also known as the IPC Agreement, is an international treaty that established a common classification for patents for invention, inventors' certificates, utility models and utility certificates, known as the "International Patent Classification" (IPC). The treaty was signed in Strasbourg, France, on 24 March 1971; it entered into force on 7 October 1975 and was amended on 28 September 1979. The Agreement and the certified statement were registered by the World Intellectual Property Organization on 28 February 1980. | Of 24 March 1971, and amended on 28 September 1979 |
| Vienna Agreement Establishing an International Classification of the Figurative Elements of Marks | The Vienna Agreement establishes a classification (the Vienna Classification) for marks that consist of, or contain, figurative elements. | Done at Vienna on 12 June 1973, and amended on 1 October 1985 |
Policy work
Many local groups, Indigenous peoples, and governments want better ways to protect traditional ideas and stories. These traditions are special to communities but can be hard to protect with normal rules. Since 2010, a group called the Intergovernmental Committee has been working on new rules to help protect these traditions.
WIPO works with partners on health research to find treatments for diseases. They share tools and knowledge to help scientists and companies create new medicines.
WIPO also helps share ideas for technologies that help the environment. They connect people and organizations who want to develop and use green technologies.
The WIPO Judicial Institute, started in 2019, helps judges learn more about intellectual property laws. It organizes meetings and creates resources to help courts understand these laws better.
The WIPO Academy teaches people about intellectual property. It offers courses for government workers, inventors, students, and businesses.
Main article: WIPO GREEN
Main article: WIPO Judicial Institute
Main article: WIPO Academy
World Intellectual Property Day
Main article: World Intellectual Property Day
World Intellectual Property Day is a special day each year to help people learn about how ideas and creations help countries grow and improve. It started in 2001 and is held every year on April 26, the day the rules for the World Intellectual Property Organization began in 1970.
Sectors and divisions
WIPO has different teams that help manage and share ideas about inventions and creations around the world.
One team collects data and shares facts about how countries help protect new ideas and inventions. Another team builds online tools and databases that help governments, lawyers, and researchers work better together. They also look at new technologies to improve their services.
There is also a team that works closely with leaders in Geneva, helping plan big meetings and events. Finally, a special team helps protect the traditions, stories, and natural gifts of local communities by giving them advice on how to use rules about inventions and creations to support their work. This team also organizes learning programs and keeps information about how different places protect these traditions.
Publications and databases
WIPO publishes about 40 new books each year in six languages: Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, and Spanish. These books and research papers are about ideas and inventions. WIPO began sharing these books online for free in 2016 so everyone can use them.
Global Innovation Index
Main article: Global Innovation Index
The Global Innovation Index is a yearly list that shows how well countries create new ideas. It began in 2007 and uses information from many places to make the list.
World Intellectual Property Report
Main article: World Intellectual Property Report
Every two years, WIPO makes a report that looks at new trends in ideas and inventions. These reports help us understand how important ideas are to the world.
World Intellectual Property Indicators
Main article: World Intellectual Property Indicators
Since 2009, WIPO has shared facts and numbers about ideas and inventions from many countries.
WIPO Lex
Main article: WIPO Lex
WIPO Lex is a free online place where you can read laws and decisions about ideas and inventions from all over the world.
WIPO Magazine
WIPO Magazine is a free magazine that talks about new ideas and creativity. It is available in eight languages and shares stories about how people use ideas to help their communities.
PATENTSCOPE
Main article: PATENTSCOPE
PATENTSCOPE is a free place to search for patents, which are official documents about new inventions.
The Green Technology Book
In 2022, WIPO began a new book about technology that helps fight climate change. The book shows 200 different technologies that can help protect the planet.
WIPO Pearl
The WIPO Pearl database, started in 2014, helps people find the right words for science and technology in many languages.
| Flagship publications | Databases |
|---|---|
| Global Innovation Index | WIPOLex |
| Innovation Cluster Rating | PATENTSCOPE |
| World Intellectual Property Report | Global Brand Database |
| World Intellectual Property Indicators | WIPO GREEN |
| WIPO Magazine | Global Design Database |
| Green Technology Book | Madrid Monitor |
| PCT Yearly Review | IP Statistics Data Center |
| Madrid Yearly Review | Article 6ter |
| Hague Yearly Review | Hague Express |
| WIPO Technology Trends | Lisbon Express |
| WIPO IP Facts and Figures | WIPO Pearl |
| Access to Research for Development and Innovation (ARDI) | |
| Access to Specialized Patent Information (ASPI) | |
| Pat-Informed |
Directors General
On October 1, 2020, Daren Tang from Singapore became the Director General. He took over from Gurry. Many countries supported him. Tang will start his second term on October 1, 2026, and it will last until September 30, 2032.
| No. | Term | Name | From |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1970–1973 | Georg Bodenhausen |  Netherlands |
| 2 | 1973–1997 | Árpád Bogsch |  United States |
| 3 | 1997–2008 | Kamil Eltayeb Idris |  Sudan |
| 4 | 2008–2020 | Francis Gurry |  Australia |
| 5 | 2020–2032 | Daren Tang |  Singapore |
| 6 | 2026– | Pending 2025 Assembly results | |
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