Intellectual Property

ITU/D. Procofieff

Getting by with a little help from our (virtual) friends

6 April 2021
Interviews

By 2030, two billion people are expected to rely on so-called “assistive” technology aids in their daily lives to eat, see, hear and even get dressed, according to UN patent experts at WIPO, the World Intellectual Property Organization.

It will also be possible to flag when anyone suffering from severe depression or other degenerative brain conditions might need help from a relative or carer, as Irene Kitsara from WIPO tells UN News’s Daniel Johnson.

Audio -
10'53"
Unsplash/Possessed Photography

Inventions boom in ‘assistive tech’ offers wider benefits for all

23 March 2021
Economic Development

Rapid growth in innovations that are designed to help people overcome their disabilities could soon offer a fix to all manner of mobility, sight and other difficulties, UN patent experts WIPO said on Tuesday.

NASA/Aubrey Gemignani

Boom in Artificial Intelligence patents, points to ‘quantum leap’ in tech: UN report

31 January 2019
Economic Development

The “upsurge” in patent applications for devices and machines powered by Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the last five years, suggests that it could soon revolutionize all areas of daily life far beyond the tech world, a UN report suggested on Thursday.

WIPO/Emmanuel Berrod

Drug patent initiative offers ‘small step’ towards access to medicines: WIPO

25 September 2018
Interviews

Francis Gurry, Director General of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), tells Daniel Johnson how the Patent Information Initiative for Medicines, a new data-sharing online platform involving the UN and the pharmaceutical industry, could result in more medicines reaching those who need them, particularly in the developing world.

Audio -
7'6"
WIPO

Global patent filings hit fastest growth in 18 years, UN reports

9 December 2013
Intellectual property patent filings worldwide grew at their fastest pace in almost two decades in 2012, driven by China, according to the United Nations agency charged with protecting inventions, trademarks, industrial designs and copyright.
WIPO/Emmanuel Berrod

UN agency voices concerns about time and cost of technology-related disputes

28 March 2013
Court litigation in technology-related disputes are generally costly and time-consuming, the United Nations World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) reported today, leading more cases to be resolved through alternative means, such as negotiation and mediation.
WIPO/Zainul A. Mzige

African political and business leaders focus on intellectual property at UN-backed forum

12 March 2013
Using intellectual property – such as patents, trademarks and copyrights – to support African innovation and identity is among the topics discussed today at two major conferences organized by the United Nations World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).
WIPO/Berrod Emmanuel

China’s patent office now the world’s biggest, UN innovation report finds

11 December 2012
China registered the most patent applications globally last year, leading the world in an indicator that the United Nations intellectual property (IP) agency uses to measure innovation.

Rise in intellectual property filings point to innovation despite economic crisis – UN

20 December 2011
Intellectual property filings worldwide increased significantly in 2010, pointing to continuing innovation driven mainly by the United States and China despite the global economic crisis, according to a report released today in Geneva by the United Nations World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).

UN agency hails move to protect African folklore and traditional knowledge

31 August 2010
The United Nations agency charged with protecting intellectual property worldwide has welcomed the adoption by a number of African States of a new legal instrument that seeks to protect the continent’s traditional knowledge and folklore.