📋 Tender Overview
The 68th session of the Union Assemblies and the General Assembly of the Member States of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) began yesterday. In his opening address, WIPO Director General Daren Tang emphasized that intellectual property must remain a driver of innovation, creativity and development even in times of rapid technological and economic change.Director of the Intellectual Property Office, mag. Karin Zvokelj | Author: Barbara Rezun
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According to him, WIPOs work is no longer limited to managing the intellectual property rights registration system, but is aimed at creating an environment that encourages innovators and creators. He emphasized that intellectual property is increasingly moving from the periphery to the center of economic development. This is also confirmed by the fact that global investment in intangible assets exceeded 10 trillion US dollars for the first time last year and is growing more than three times faster than investment in tangible assets.
He paid special attention to artificial intelligence, which, according to him, is fundamentally changing the way of creating and innovating. WIPO will therefore strengthen member states debate on artificial intelligence and intellectual property, organize the first Global Forum on IP and AI, and begin developing artificial intelligence tools to support national intellectual property offices. At the start of his second term, Tang also presented the organizations four priority directions: strengthening the role of intellectual property in society, developing an inclusive international system, adapting it to the development of artificial intelligence, and further modernizing WIPO.
The session is attended by many delegates from member states, including a Slovenian delegation led by the Director of the Office of the Republic of Slovenia for Intellectual Property, M.Sc. Karin Zvokelj and other delegates representing Slovenia at this years session.
Director of the office of M.Sc. In her national statement, Zvokelj emphasized WIPOs support in the implementation of the National Intellectual Property Strategy 2030 and the Action Plan, and highlighted the concrete results of cooperation. Among them are the first Slovenian implementation of the WIPO IP Management Clinic program, and exceptional progress in the field of financing and valuation of intellectual property with the just-presented new debt financing programs that enable the use of intellectual property as collateral, as well as planned activities to strengthen the competences of experts for its valuation. She said: For Slovenia, the value of cooperation with WIPO is in supporting a comprehensive approach to intellectual property - from awareness and education to its strategic use through commercialization, licensing, valuation and financing. Such practical support for Member States and national user offices brings concrete benefits.
At the annual meeting, the member states of WIPO discuss institutional, administrative and financial issues common to all unions and important to the functioning of WIPO. They familiarize themselves with the work of WIPOs working bodies and current events and developments in the field of intellectual property in member states, assess the progress of WIPOs work and discuss future political directions.
Numerous side events and bilateral meetings are also held on the sidelines of the sessions. The Slovenian delegation will meet, among others, WIPO Director General Daren Tang, Assistant Director General Marc Aleman, Director of the Department for Countries in Transition and Developed Countries Habip Asan, Head of the Department for Commercialization of Intellectual Property Allison Mages, Director of the Section for Intellectual Property for Businesses Guy Pessach, the management of the WIPO Academy (a center for training and education in the field of intellectual property), and the delegations of Canada, Great Britain, Portugal, France, United States and Singapore.
