Summary

Ammonia Synthesis - The double-edged sword

From France's Nicolas Sarkozy to America's President-elect Barack Obama world leaders are pointing to investment in emerging green technologies and research as the way ahead in boosting the world's sagging economy and creating new jobs, suggesting programs equivalent to U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal of the 1930s. But as the call goes out for green innovation and climate change technologies, there is an important lesson to learn from an ammonia synthesis patent which marks its 1...

Ban Ki-moon: WIPO Can Be a Champion

The United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon referred to WIPO as "a unique organization with a unique contribution to make in meeting the global challenges faced by the UN" during his first visit to WIPO headquarters, on November 18, to meet with WIPO Director General Francis Gurry and address staff. He underlined the need "to pool our resources, pool our wisdom and act as One United Nations." Mr. Ban stressed that with the UN's limited resources success in addressing the challenges - whi...

Beginning of a New Era for the Lisbon System

Lisbon attracts new adherents. Forum explores challenges.

Book Review

This volume grew out of two workshops held at Emmanuel College, Cambridge, in 2005 and 2006. It is interdisciplinary in its approach and addresses the following topics: legal and economic history, current positive law in the E.U. and the U.S., linguistics, marketing, sociology, law and economics, philosophy, anthropology and geography.

Building for the Future

The foundation stone for WIPO's new office building was officially laid on November 7. During the ceremony several symbolic items - to intrigue and instruct future generations - were placed in a steel cylinder embedded in a concrete block, which will become part of the structure of the building. Included were the WIPO Convention, the WIPO flag, a WIPO medal, the UN Charter, a copy of the bill of sale of the land, the brochure about the architectural competition, a selection of architect's blu...

CERN and Innovation - The Heart of the Matter

CERN in a nutshell. An open science policy. CERN and industry - technical symbiosis. IP Rights in Commercial Partnerships. Technology transfer and patents - indicators of excellence. Spin-off Technologies. CERN's patent portfolio. Creating a patent culture. Sifting for digital gold.

Committee Meetings

IGC - Consultations to Continue on Future Work Program. Proposals and counter-proposals. Participation of indigenous peoples. SCCR - Key Copyright Issues Under Review. Easier computer access for the visually impaired at WIPO.

Famous Appellations of Origin

Feta cheese - the struggle for authentication.

Francis Gurry Addresses WIPO General Assembly

The following is a synopsis of Mr. Gurry's acceptance speech to the WIPO General Assembly on his election as Director General, in which he outlined challenges and priorities for the Organization in the years ahead.

In the News

Satellite Channel on IP Rights. China Reports Sharp Increase in IP Rights Cases. Nobel Prize Winning Jellyfish. The 7th Economist Innovation Award. Project Launched to Modernize Bangladesh's IP System.

IP and Software

Software Patentability: Emerging Legal Issues. Patentability. Challenges for WIPO.

Meetings of the Assemblies of WIPO Member States - 2008 Report

Appointment of the New Director General. Committee on Development and IP (CDIP). Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights (SCCR). Advisory Committee on Enforcement (ACE). Intergovernmental Committee on Intellectual Property and Genetic Resources, Traditional Knowledge and Folklore (IGC). tanding Committee on the Law of Patents (SCP). Internet domain names. Article 6ter of the Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property (Paris Convention). Madrid Union for the Interna...

Sleeping Queens - Our Life in Cards

The holiday season is the perfect time for family and friends to gather around and play their favorite games - or try out a brand new one like Sleeping Queens. One of this year's most popular games, Sleeping Queens is proof that a six-year-old, with the right cards, can become an inventor and license her intellectual property rights. Sleeping Queens was created by Miranda Evarts, the first child inventor of a game released on the international market. She came up with the original idea and de...

The Third Access to Knowledge (A2K3) Conference

Organized by ten international partners, the Third Access to Knowledge (A2K3) Conference, held in Geneva from September 8 to 10, attracted over 400 participants - and many more to its blog (www.a2k3.org). Below, Mr. Sisule F. Musungu, President of IQsensato and A2K3 Conference coordinator, provides an overview of the conference objectives, followed by two commentaries from guest speakers - "The A2K Challenge" by Mr. Maximiliano Santa Cruz from the Permanent Mission of Chile to the United Nat...