A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Algeria - Office National des droits d’auteur et des droits voisins (ONDA)

The National Copyright Office (ONDA in French) has planned the following program for the celebration of the Day in Algeria:

  • Open Days at ONDA headquarters and at its regional centers from April 19-24, inaugurated by a representative of the Ministry of Culture, to spread a knowledge of ONDA’s activities in the protection of creation, collective management, preservation of the national heritage, cultural promotion, social welfare, and the major features of ONDA’s work through 2007;
  • a seminar from April 26-27 on the theme, «La protection des droits d’auteurs et droits voisins dans l’environnement numérique» (The Protection of Copyright and Neighboring Rights in the Digital Environment), for the benefit of magistrates, police officers, officers of the Gendarmerie nationale, customs officers, the National Association of Music Publishers (Association Nationale des Editeurs de Musique), publishers and producers, with speakers from the country and from abroad who are experts in relevant fields.


Australia

To celebrate the Day, IP Australia is organizing a number of activities across the country during April. These include innovation showcases and seminars for small businesses in major capital cities, a paper plane design competition for schoolchildren and a national newspaper competition for readers. These activities will help to increase public awareness of the importance of intellectual property in our daily lives. The celebrations commence in Sydney on April 18, with an innovation showcase and IP seminar at Australian Technology Park. More information can be found at: http://www.ipaustralia.gov.au/about/world_ip_day.shtml.


Austria

On the occasion of the celebration of the Day on April 26, the Austrian Patent Office will organize a seminar on the theme "Intellectual Property Protection" and will hold an exhibition of internationally successful Austrian inventions on April 23. More information can be found at: http://www.patentamt.at/Home/Neues/28522.html.


Bangladesh - Bangladesh Intellectual Property Attorneys Association (BIPAA)

To celebrate the Day, the General Secretary of BIPAA, who is also an advocate at the Supreme Court, will participate in a discussion in the presence of the Registrar, Department of Patents Designs and Trademarks.


Belarus

The National Center of Intellectual Property (NCIP) has organized the following activities:

  • a meeting of the Authors’Council;
  • a seminar on copyright aspects in librarianship, and an exhibition on copyright aspects of book publishing, hosted by the National Library;
  • a press conference on tasks and achievements in the protection of IPRs;
  • the launch of a competition on IP for students, and of another on copyright and related rights management;
  • a seminar on the commercial use of IP in the activities of enterprises held by the WIPO Academy and NCIP in cooperation with the Russian State Institute of IP;
  • a seminar on the economic aspects of IP for specialists of the patent services of enterprises and other organizations of the country, held jointly by the NCIP, the State Committee for Science and Technology and the Republican Scientific and Technical Library;
  • interviews given by representatives of the NCIP on public television channels, concerning the importance of IPRs and respect for IP;
  • round table discussions for persons involved in IP protection in industry and management.


Bolivia

Intellectual Property stakeholders and Bolivian governmental bodies have come together to plan multiple World Intellectual Property Day events and publications in Bolivia. These are as follows:

  • With the participation of private industry associations, the office of the Mayor of La Paz has included an article on Intellectual Property and World IP Day in its monthly free magazine.
  • The Bolivian Book Chamber, private organizations, and Bolivian governmental agencies will give public presentations on IP on the afternoon of April 22.
  • The capital city of La Paz is also supporting stakeholder associations in presenting a free concert on April 27: participants will include the governmental Intellectual Property organization SENAPI, the technology and communication organization CTIC, the artists' association ABAIEM, the composers' association SOBODAYCOM, the La Paz citizens' advisory council of culture and art, and IP stakeholding companies.

During the weeks surrounding World Intellectual Property Day, various banners will be on display in public areas along the main street of La Paz.


Bulgaria - Bulgarian Patent Office

The Bulgarian Patent Office celebrated the Day by holding an Open Day on April 24, and concentrated on two main topics - respect for innovation and Community Trade Marks and Designs. Some 40 visitors came to the Office from all over the country, who were able to obtain information and materials about IP and about the celebration of the Day. It was also possible for them to see demonstrations of on-line searches in different data bases. The Open Day took place not only in the capital, Sofia, but also at the Office’s branch in Varna.

These celebrations were covered by the media all day, and most notable was an interview of the Office’s Vice-President, which was broadcast on a national radio station. The Information Agency “Focus” also covered them in more than six news broadcasts during that day.


Bulgaria - IP Bulgaria

To mark the Day the Bulgarian National Portal for Intellectual Property www.ipbulgaria.com is launching the following activities and events:

  • special material dedicated to the Day, explaining the importance of intellectual property in everyday life and presenting different kinds of activities that take place around the world to celebrate it;
  • for the second year, awards for the development of intellectual property and its popularization in society, with Diplomas being given on April 26 by IP Bulgaria, on which more information can be found at http://www.ipbulgaria.com/cgi-bin/e-cms/vis/vis.pl?;
  • several interviews with some leading Bulgarian industrial property representatives and with some of the receivers of the Honoured Diploma for 2006;
  • publication of the message of WIPO's Director General;
  • an online forum among users on the topic “Which invention has most dramatically changed my everyday life?” in which participants are expected to share their opinion and vision for innovations and the role of creativity and IP rights in our everyday life;
  • coverage of all activities and events organized by other institutions and organizations in Bulgaria to celebrate the Day.

All these activities will be widely announced on IP Bulgaria's website, both in Bulgarian and English.


Canada - Canadian Intellectual Property Office (CIPO)

The Canadian Intellectual Property Office offered a web seminar on the Basics of Intellectual Property, on April 23, to celebrate World IP Day. A CIPO Business Development Officer hosted the session along with intellectual property specialists. This session, in either English or French, introduced and imparted the strategic value of IP in Canada, and was followed by an interactive question and answer session with registered participants.


Canada - Young Inventors International (YII)

YII organized the following activities to celebrate the Day:

  • April 25: Office hour with an intellectual property lawyer Chat online with Ebad Rahman from Bereskin & Parr
  • April 25: Office hour with an intellectual property lawyer Chat online with Suvashis Bhattacharya from Thelen Reid
  • April 28: YII Entrepreneur Podcast Series
    Learn how Gauri Nanda, entrepreneur and inventor of Clocky, built her venture. Gauri Nanda discussed how she built her venture and the importance of intellectual property for her business. The archived recording will be available for free. For more information, please visit www.younginventors.org and click on "Events."


China

The following are the activities organized to celebrate the Day and to highlight the importance of intellectual property in the people’s daily life:

  • an Open Day on April 26 for the public, inviting representatives from industries to visit the State Intellectual Property Office;
  • a Press Conference on China's IPR Protection 2007, at which China's IPR Protection Report 2007 will be distributed;
  • an exposition on IP painting and calligraphy on April 26;
  • a Round Table on China's achievements in the field of IP in the past 30 years since reform and opening up;
  • a television program, Invention Story, produced and broadcast for the purpose of disseminating IP knowledge and promoting the spirit of innovation;
  • the 4th Female Inventor's Award;
  • a Press Conference on National IPR Week 2008;
  • the publication of the result of the Top Ten IPR Protection Events in China in 2007;
  • an Advanced Forum on IPR protection in China;
  • a television show on IP protection and a series of interviews, held in cooperation with CCTV;
  • broadcast of a cartoon series, "Intelligence City," on IP protection;
  • a Forum on IPR Protection in the criminal field;
  • a Competition on legal knowledge on hundreds of websites and a Competition on knowledge of Internet Law for young people;
  • concerted action to destroy illegal audio-visual products on April 26;
  • a special enforcement campaign against free riding of a well-known brand;
  • a ceremony for starting the selection of outstanding people and enterprises in the field of copyright and the giving of an award in a writing competition for college students, in the field of copyright protection;
  • various activities, expositions and meetings around the country, to publicize China's IP system and status.


China - Hong Kong (SAR)

To celebrate the Day, Hong Kong Intellectual Property Department (HKIPD) organized the following activities:

  • a radio promotion program, including five 2-minute segments and a 20-second promotion, produced and broadcast on a local radio station, Commercial Radio, from April 17-26;
  • two newspaper supplements, produced and issued on April 25 in one local Chinese newspaper (AM730) and one local English newspaper (The Standard);
  • an initial press conference announcing details of the Stamp Design Competition co-organized with the Hong Kong Reprographic Rights Licensing Society, and conducted on April 22;
  • three film screenings showing the IP video produced by HKIPD and the Diocesan Girls' School, and the film "Tangshan Tangshan", screened April 25-27;
  • a seminar for Scouts as well as a prize presentation ceremony for the Comics Design Competition organized with the Scout Association of Hong Kong, on April 26.


China - Shanghai

The Shanghai IP Administration is organizing a major conference on IPRs from April 21-22 at the Shanghai International Convention Center. It is expected to draw hundreds of participants, including high-level Chinese officials in the field of IPRs. The local authorities are working with the United States Consulate General to put up a display of posters on IPRs translated into Chinese.


Colombia

The Day will be celebrated at a Fair in Bogotá - the Feria Internacional del Libro en Corferias - by the presentation of a bilingual IP dictionary (English/Spanish) prepared for the Andean Community.


Congo - Conseil National pour la Promotion de la Musique Traditionnelle du Congo (CNPMTC)

The National Council for the Promotion of Traditional Congolese Music will celebrate the Day as follows:

  • promotion of awareness of IP, beginning on April 25, by the distribution of posters, postcards and other WIPO products to the major schools and institutions involved in the fields of fine arts, handicrafts, trades, technical skills, music and folklore;
  • two workshops in the Institut National des Arts on April 26, on the subject of the impact of IP on creativity, with a Director of SONECA as speaker, and also on copyright as a reliable source of revenue for artistic creators, with a speaker from the Provincial Ministry of National Education, Tourism, Information and the Press of Kinshasa;
  • a cultural morning with the participation of three folk groups which are members of the CNPMTC.


Costa Rica

To mark the Day, the University of Costa Rica, through its Office for the Management and Transfer of Knowledge for Innovation, has organized an activity in which an award will be given to the winning student of a contest for the design of a new T-shirt for the University's annual celebration, known as "Semana U." The name has been registered as a trademark, and it can be translated as "U Week": this is a week dedicated to the promotion of the arts, sports, science and culture for the benefit of the university community and the general public.

The winning student will receive a money prize, and royalties of the sales of the T-shirts, and additionally a further percentage of the sales, will be given to the Student Federation of the University of Costa Rica (FEUCR). With this activity the University wishes to raise awareness in the community of the benefits and ways to take advantage of intellectual property to promote innovation.


Dominican Republic

To celebrate the Day, the National Office of Industrial Property (Oficina Nacional de la Propiedad Industrial or ONAPI) has organized the following activities:

  • interviews with the Director General on various media, emphasizing the importance of IPRs;
  • publication of a compendium of national legislation in the field of IP, containing the texts of Law No. 20-00 on Industrial Property and its Regulations, the Nice Agreement on International Classification of Goods and Services, the fees applied by ONAPI, and the procedures for using the Office's services;
  • a national handicrafts'workshop for the establishment of marks for crafts, proposing a dynamic space for information and training for the establishment of the first collective and individual marks for crafts in the country;
  • launch of a Center for Technological Information, which will offer information on patents, such as searches into prior art and analyses of state of the art;
  • a workshop, co-organized with WIPO, on industrial property as a tool to support innovation, and on the management of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs);
  • launch of the adaptation of WIPO Guides for SMEs, to take account of national legislation, namely, "Making a Mark," "Looking Good," "Inventing the Future," "Creative Expression," and "A Stitch in Time."


El Salvador - American Chamber of Commerce (AMCHAM)

To celebrate the Day, AMCHAM is organizing a Conference on the theme, "Intellectual Property: Challenges and Opportunities," to be held on April 24. Its main objective will be to show the importance of IP protection and its contribution to economic prosperity. Among those expected to attend will be persons from the private sector and the legal profession, as well as entrepreneurs and police and customs officials.


El Salvador - Centro Nacional de Registros (CNR)

The CNR is to celebrate the Day in the following ways:

  • inclusion of the Day in its radio publicity during the month of April, with the slogan, "Innovation, Respect It," and promotion of organized activities (April 1-30);
  • creation of a link with the WIPO website to publish the message of the Director General of WIPO and this year’s slogan on the CNR website, and publication of the message of the CNR’s Executive Director on the CNR website(April 1-30);
  • creation and dissemination of printed material (such as posters) referring to the Day, and its display in public organizations and foundations (April 1-30);
  • launch of an artistic competition for children (sketching and writing) on the theme of fighting piracy (April 24);
  • Conference on the Register of Domain Names, to be given by Rafael Ibarra, President of the Asociación SV-Net (April 25);
  • organization of Workshops in the field of patent search at various universities’research centres, for professionals, students and the general public, with the aim of learning about existing data bases, how to access them and how to conduct searches;
  • setting up interviews for the Executive Director of CNR or the Director of IP on various media, for the promotion of the Day (April 21-25);
  • organization of an awards ceremony for innovation, with the participation of artists, authors and performers who have used the IP system, to honour particular creators (April 30);
  • organization of a craft fair (April 17-18);
  • conferences in various universities to promote respect for IP and show students the benefits of the IP system (April 7-18);
  • organization of Workshops, with the support of CONAMYPE (a national commission for small- and medium-sized enterprises), to explain the benefits of the IP system to enterprises (April 8 and 15).


Estonia

On April 24 and 25, to mark the Day, a seminar on the theme "Intellectual Property in Small- and Medium-Sized Enterprises and Their Competitiveness," organized by the Estonian Patent Office and WIPO, will be held in the Conference Centre of Reval Hotel Olympia. More information can be found at http://www.epa.ee/ul/Program.pdf.


Ethiopia

This year the Day in Ethiopia will be celebrated on the theme "Cultural Industries and Intellectual Property Festival 2008," during the week April 28 - May 4, 2008, in cooperation with the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the Ethiopian Intellectual Property Office (EIPO), and with other relevant professional Associations and Societies, as well as with WIPO.

The activities planned include the following:

  • opening of the Cultural Industries and Intellectual Property Festival Exhibition on April 28, at the National Theatre area, where technological inventions and creative works will be on public display for one week;
  • inauguration of EIPO's Intellectual Property Advisory Service and Information Center on April 28, in the presence of the President of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, of a representative from the donor organization, the World Bank and of a representative of WIPO;
  • WIPO Award Ceremony with the participation of the President of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia on April 28, with awards (in the form of gold medals, certificates and trophies) for best inventor, best woman inventor, best young inventor, outstanding inventor, as well as for innovative enterprise in the field of industry, best author, best playwright, best music composer, outstanding creator and for innovative enterprise in the field of creative arts;
  • a half-day high-level meeting, in the form of a Ministerial Round Table, on the theme "The Role of Intellectual Property in Socio-economic Development and the Need to Integrate Intellectual Property into the Socio-economic Development Plan of Ethiopia," to be held on April 29;
  • a statement communicated by the public and private media, marking the occasion and highlighting the need for and importance of intellectual property protection.


Finland

The World Intellectual Property Day, celebrated in Finland for the eighth time on April 24 and 25, has also been declared the Finnish Inventor’s Day.

The theme for 2008 is how innovation contributes rapidly to the country’s welfare. The goal is, in accordance with the Finnish Innovation Strategy, to challenge all Finns to revise their thinking: in addition to conventional industrially-oriented innovations, the purpose is also to improve the services within the private and public sector.

A main ceremony will be preceded by a national Innovation Parliament where the theme is studied more thoroughly. The Parliament is a two-day seminar for 200 stakeholders. It consists of working groups which strive to find new initiatives to strengthen Finnish competitiveness and, in a plenary meeting, to make recommendations.

The host of the Innovation Parliament is the City of Vantaa, in cooperation with the actual initiators of the event, the National Board of Patents and Registration of Finland, Suomalaisten Keksijöiden Tukiyhdistys (Association for the Support of Finnish Inventors), and Headline Oy, which is the practical organizer.


France - Electricité de France (EDF)

The group in charge of intellectual property at EDF Research and Development will celebrate the Day by sensitizing its engineers to the need for protection and valorization of immaterial assets.

This awareness campaign will consist of engineers’ participation in a quiz, to be published for two weeks on EDF’s private Intranet, concerning intellectual property. The questions will be about patents, drawings and models, trademarks and know-how and also about the different ways of protecting innovation, such as the drafting of non-disclosure agreements. Participants will be able to make use of many articles published on EDF’s Intranet dealing with intellectual property, and will also be invited to use the resources of the Institut National de la Propriété Industrielle in France. Subsequently, three internal conferences will be organized to explain the answers to the quiz.


Georgia

The National Intellectual Property Center of Georgia (SAKPATENTI) organized the following activities to celebrate the Day:

  • Postcards were specially prepared for the Day and sent to well-known Georgian inventors and creative personalities working in over 200 different fields of human activity.
  • The message of the Director General of WIPO, as well as the annual address of the Director General of SAKPATENTI, translated into the Georgian language, were published on the website of SAKPATENTI.
  • The lower section of the library of intellectual property of SAKPATENTI was rebuilt, and the old bookcases were replaced completely in accordance with the requirements of storage and modern design, for the greater convenience of users.
  • The translation into the Georgian language by SAKPATENTI Examiners of the Ninth Edition of the International Classification of Goods and Services was completed.
  • The first issue of the “Official Bulletin for the Protection of New Plant Varieties and Animal Breeds” was prepared for publication.
  • SAKPATENTI gave assistance free of charge to the newly established National Scientific Library in the restoration of the paper collection of the patent documentation of Georgia.
  • An exhibition of young painters of Georgia was opened in the gallery Ratio of SAKPATENTI.


Guatemala - Register of Intellectual Property

The Register has organized the following activities to celebrate the Day:

  • a seminar on the visual arts and the collective management of copyrights, in collaboration with WIPO and the International Council of Creators of Graphic, Plastic and Geographic Arts (April 28);
  • inauguration of an exhibition of paintings by students of the Art School (April 28);
  • a workshop on the visual arts and the collective management of copyrights, also in collaboration with the above-mentioned partners, followed by a closing ceremony and a cocktail (April 29).


India - Confederation of Indian Industry (CII)

To celebrate the Day, the CII, in Collaboration with the Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of India, organized a media event, a national dialogue on the theme, "Leveraging Knowledge Arbitrage for India's Innovation Ecology" on April 24. It was held at Hotel Le Meridien, New Delhi and also concurrently by video link at Pune and Bangalore.

The national dialogue was an initiative to focus the attention of the people on the importance of scientific and technological innovation and on the role of intellectual property in socio-economic progress.

Panels of eminent policy-makers and scientists were invited in Delhi, Pune and Bangalore to participate. The Minister of Science and Technology gave an address and also participated in the dialogue. The proceedings were covered by print media as well as being broadcast by the media on all major national television channels, and they were also telecast to audiences around the world during prime time on the same day.


India - Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI)

The Federation, in conjunction with the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) of the Government of India, is to launch a "National IPR Campaign," beginning on the Day, April 26, with a National Seminar on "Harnessing IP for Nation Development." This will be held in the FICCI Auditorium in New Delhi. The aim of the seminar is to raise awareness in the world of India as an international destination for manufacturers, innovators, contract research organizations, researchers and others.


India - National Intellectual Property Organization (NIPO)

NIPO is launching a new website,"Gateway to India 's World of IP," on the occasion of World IP Day. The website, up-to-date in appearance, will give the visitor an in-depth knowledge of the role and scope of IPRs in the emerging global environment, besides providing a user-friendly interface to the activities and services of NIPO.

Its highlights include an IPR Helpdesk, providing information on Indian IP Laws, how to register and protect IP, how to manage know-how, IP commercialization, mediation services and innovation infrastructure. The site has a section on IP enforcement, providing facilities such as Piracy Check, in which companies can list/display the technological measures covering their products, enabling consumers to differentiate between counterfeit and genuine products. IP Watch enables consumers from across the country to report incidents of counterfeiting and piracy, which can be taken up with the original manufacturer by NIPO. The site contains a National Calendar of IP events scheduled over the year in various parts of the country, as well as the initiatives taken by various government departments for promotion and protection of intellectual property.

The website www.nipo.in will also provide a facility to its members to upload publications and caution notices. The site will maintain a listing of top IP legal experts and registered patent and trademark agents in India and other countries, to enable users to select the best legal advice on IP matters. Additionally, it will contain articles on topical IP issues as well as a listing of IPR Newsfeeds and Blogspots, and will serve as a single shop for all IP-related issues.


India - Perry4Law Legal Firm

In the context of activities planned in a "WIPO Week-2008," the firm will celebrate with the following:

  • panel and group discussions on WIPO-related topics, including the Day;
  • public awareness discussions through online groups of Perry4Law;
  • use of Internet for wider public involvement in celebrations;
  • use of web chatrooms and web conferences to coordinate and to raise awareness of the firm's IPR initiatives all over India;
  • answering queries of owners and other users of IPRs, of enforcement authorities, governmental bodies, NGOs and school and college students.


India - Xellect IP Solutions

Xellect IP Solutions is an IP training and consultancy firm whose objective is to service the needs of a society which is becoming increasingly knowledge-based. As the Day approached, it launched a University Campaign to increase awareness of intellectual property Rights. Xellect IP Solutions is holding workshops at different universities to impart basic knowledge on the subject. The campaign will also showcase new lucrative career pathways to able young people.

The website http://xellectip.com will have more updates as and when there are any new developments. Alternatively, more information can be obtained at info@xellectip.com.