WIPO Magazine

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Новини

 

Release of the Global Innovation Index 2020

Source: ipkitten.blogspot.com

 

The 13th edition of the Global Innovation Index (GII) 2020 was released today. The study was published by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), Cornell University and INSEAD, and “consists of a ranking of world economies’ innovation capabilities and results”. 

The Brazilian National Confederation of Industry (CNI), the 3DEXPERIENCE Company (Dassault Systèmes), and the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) collaborated as Knowledge Partners by “supporting the elaboration of the GII”. 

The theme of this year’s report is Who Will Finance Innovation?, which is timely and relevant in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

WIPO shared some findings in the press release published today: 

• “The COVID-19 crisis hit the innovation landscape at a time when innovation was flourishing. 
• [T]he money to fund innovative ventures is drying up. VC deals are in sharp decline across North America, Asia, and Europe. 
• The impact of this shortage in innovation finance will be uneven, with the negative effects felt more heavily by early-stage VCs [Venture Capital], by R&D-intensive start-ups, and in countries that are not typically VC hotspots. 
• The COVID-19 crisis has already catalyzed innovation in many new and traditional sectors, such as health, education, tourism and retail.” 

The ranking of the Global Innovation Index (GII) 2020 is topped by Switzerland, Sweden, the United States of America, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands. 

Some highlights contained in the GII 2020 study are: 

 

• The United States of America “hosts the largest number (25) of top science and technology clusters in the world”. 
• Brazil, Mexico, and Argentina “host global R&D companies … [and ranks] in the new indicator global brands value [7.1.2] … [as they have] many more valuable brands than their income levels would predict.” 
• Seven European countries rank the top 10 of the GII. 
• Switzerland has topped the ranking for the last ten years. 
• Sweden stands out for “a solid human capital and research system, coupled with a sophisticated market with innovative firms”. 
• South Africa ranks “first in market capitalization and ninth in domestic credit to the private sector”. 
• Kenya stands out for “holding the record of being innovation achievers for ten consecutive years”. 
• Israel ranks as “a top innovation player, especially in ICT services exports”. 
• India is “the third most innovative lower middle-income economy in the world”. 
• China ranks in indicators related to “patents, utility models, trademarks, industrial designs, and creative goods exports”. 

The GII 2020 regional innovation leaders for Northern America (NAC) are: 

1. United States of America (GII rank: 3) 
2. Canada (GII rank: 17) 

The top 5 GII 2020 regional innovation leaders for Latin America and the Caribbean (LCN) are: 

1. Chile (GII rank: 54) 
2. Mexico (GII rank: 55) 
3. Costa Rica (GII rank: 56) 
4. Brazil (GII rank: 62) 
5. Colombia (GII rank: 68) 

The top 5 GII 2020 regional innovation leaders for Europe (EUR) are: 

1. Switzerland (GII rank: 1) 
2. Sweden (GII rank: 2) 
3. United Kingdom (GII rank: 4) 
4. Netherlands (GII rank: 5) 
5. Denmark (GII rank: 6) 

The top 5 GII 2020 regional innovation leaders for Sub-Saharan Africa (SSF) are: 

1. Mauritius (GII rank: 52) 
2. South Africa (GII rank: 60) 
3. Kenya (GII rank: 86) 
4. United Republic of Tanzania (GII rank: 88) 
5. Botswana (GII rank: 89) 

The top 5 GII 2020 regional innovation leaders for Northern Africa and Western Asia (NAWA) are: 

1. Israel (GII rank: 13) 
2. Cyprus (GII rank: 29) 
3. United Arab Emirates (GII rank: 34) 
4. Turkey (GII rank: 51) 
5. Armenia (GII rank: 61) 

 

The top 5 GII 2020 regional innovation leaders for Central and Southern Asia (CSA) are: 

1. India (GII rank: 48) 
2. Islamic Republic of Iran (GII rank: 67) 
3. Kazakhstan (GII rank: 77) 
4. Uzbekistan (GII rank: 93) 
5. Kyrgyzstan (GII rank: 94) 

The top 5 GII 2020 regional innovation leaders for South East Asia, East Asia, and Oceania (SEAO) are: 

1. Singapore (GII rank: 8) 
2. Republic of Korea (GII rank: 10) 
3. Hong Kong, China (GII rank: 11) 
4. China (GII rank: 14) 
5. Japan (GII rank: 16) 

 

 

World Intellectual Property Indicators: Filings for Patents, Trademarks, Industrial Designs Reach Record Heights in 2018

 Source: WIPO

 

Asia accounted for more than two-thirds of all patent, trademark and industrial design applications in 2018, with China driving overall growth in demand for intellectual property (IP) rights as the United States of America (U.S.) maintained its primacy in patent applications filed in export markets.

Innovators across the globe filed 3.3 million patent applications in 2018, up 5.2% for a ninth straight yearly increase, according to WIPO’s annual World Intellectual Property Indicators (WIPI) report. Global trademark filing activity rose to 14.3 million, while that for industrial designs reached 1.3 million.

“Asia continues to outpace other regions in filing activity for patents, trademarks, industrial designs and other intellectual property rights that are at the center of the global economy,” said WIPO Director General Francis Gurry. “China alone accounted for almost half of all the world’s patent filings, with India also registering impressive increases. Asia has become a global hub for innovation.”

In addition, worldwide plant variety applications grew by 8.9% to reach 20,210 applications in 2018, while data received from 92 national and regional authorities showed some 65,900 protected geographical indications (GIs) in 2018.

IP rights	2017	2018	Growth (%), 2017-2018
Number of patent applications	3,162,300	3,326,300	5.2
Number of classes specified in trademark applications	12,395,700	14,321,800	15.5
Number of designs contained in industrial design applications	1,242,100	1,312,600	5.7
Number of plant variety applications	18,550	20,210	8.9
Number of geographical indications in force	n.a.	65,900	n.a.

Note: n.a. indicates not available.

China’s IP office received the highest number of patent applications in 2018, a record 1.54 million applications that amounts to 46.4% of the global total and is similar in magnitude to the combined total of the offices ranked two through 11. China’s IP office was followed by the offices of the U.S. (597,141), Japan (313,567), the Republic of Korea (209,992) and the European Patent Office (EPO; 174,397). Together, these five offices accounted for 85.3% of the world total.

Among the top five offices, China (+11.6%), the EPO (+4.7%) and the Republic of Korea (+2.5%) recorded growth in applications, while both Japan (-1.5%) and the U.S. (-1.6%) saw small declines. For the U.S., it was the first decline in applications since 2009.  

Germany (67,898), India (50,055), the Russian Federation (37,957), Canada (36,161) and Australia (29,957) also featured among the top 10 offices. All of these offices saw growth in filings, ranging from 7.5% in India to 0.3% in Germany.

Asia is the hub of global patent filings

Asia has strengthened its position as the region with the greatest activity in patent filings. Offices located in Asia received two-thirds (66.8%) of all applications filed worldwide in 2018 – a considerable increase from 50.8% in 2008 – primarily driven by growth in China. Offices located in North America accounted for just under one-fifth (19%) of the 2018 world total, while those in Europe accounted for just over one-tenth (10.9%). The combined share of offices located in Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, and Oceania was 3.3% in 2018.

U.S. applicants filed the largest number of patent applications beyond its borders

In terms of filing abroad, which is an indication of a desire to expand in new markets, U.S. residents continue to lead with 230,085 equivalent patent applications filed abroad in 2018. The U.S. was followed by Japan (206,739), Germany (106,753), the Republic of Korea (69,459) and China (66,429).

Patents in force worldwide grew by 6.7% to reach 14 million in 2018. Around 3.1 million patents were in force in the U.S., followed by China (2.4 million) and Japan (2.1 million). Half of all patents in force in the U.S. originate from abroad, while domestic applicants accounted for around 70% of all patents in force in China.

An estimated 10.9 million trademark applications covering 14.3 million classes were filed worldwide in 2018. The number of classes specified in applications grew by 15.5% in 2018, marking a ninth consecutive year of growth.

China’s IP office had the highest volume of filing activity[1] with a class count of around 7.4 million; followed by the IP offices of the U.S. (640,181) and Japan (512,156); the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO; 392,925) and the IP office of the Islamic Republic of Iran (384,338).

Among the top 20 offices, the largest increases between 2017 and 2018 were in the IP offices of Indonesia (+29.1%), China (+28.3%), India (+20.9%), the Republic of Korea (+14.5%) and the United Kingdom (+12.4%).

Asia leads in trademark filings

Offices located in Asia accounted for 70% of all trademark filing activity in 2018, up from 36.2% in 2008. Europe’s share declined from 38.4% in 2008 to 15.8% in 2018. North America accounted for 5.8% of the world total in 2018, while the combined share of offices located in Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, and Oceania was 8.4% in 2018.

There were an estimated 49.3 million active trademark registrations worldwide in 2018 – up 13.8% on 2017, with 19.6 million in China alone, followed by 2.4 million in the U.S., and 1.9 million in India.

An estimated 1 million industrial design applications containing 1.3 million designs were filed worldwide in 2018, representing a 5.7% year-on-year increase. China’s IP office received applications containing 708,799 designs in 2018, corresponding to 54% of the world total. It was followed by the EUIPO (108,174) and the IP offices of the Republic of Korea (68,054), the U.S. (47,137) and Germany (44,460).

Among the top 20 offices, the following five offices reported double-digit growth in design counts: the U.K. (+42.4%), the Russian Federation (+21%), Italy (+16.6%), India (+13.6%) and China (+12.7%).

Asia sees the highest design activity

Offices located in Asia accounted for more than two-thirds (69.7%) of all designs in applications filed worldwide in 2018, followed by Europe (23%) and North America (4.1%). The combined share of Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, and Oceania was 3.2% in 2018.

Designs related to furnishings accounted for 10.5% of global filing activity[2], followed by those related to clothing (8.3%) and to packages and containers (7.7%).

The total number of industrial design registrations in force worldwide grew by 6.5% to reach around 4 million. The largest number of registrations in force was in China (1.6 million), followed by the Republic of Korea (344,560), the U.S. (336,116) and Japan (257,157).

China’s relevant office received 5,760 plant variety applications in 2018, up 29% on 2017. It now accounts for over a quarter of the plant variety applications filed worldwide. China was followed by the Community Plant Variety Office of the European Union (CPVO; 3,554) and relevant offices of the U.S. (1,609), Ukraine (1,575) and Japan (880). Among the top five offices, China and Ukraine (+17.1%) saw double-digit growth in filings 2018; CPVO (+3.9%) and the U.S. (+3.3%) reported similar growth rates. Japan (-13.6%) saw a sharp drop in filings.

In 2018, there were around 65,900 GIs in force worldwide. GIs are signs used on products that have a specific geographical origin and possess qualities or a reputation that are due to that origin, such as Gruyère for cheese or Tequila for spirits. Germany (15,566) reported the largest number of GIs in force, followed by China (7,247), Hungary (6,683) and the Czech Republic (6,285).

GIs in force relating to “wines and spirits” accounted for around 51.1% of the 2018 world total, followed by agricultural products and foodstuffs (29.9%) and handicrafts (2.7%).

Revenue generated by the trade and the educational sectors of the publishing industry[3] of 14 countries amounted to USD 42.5 billion. The U.S. (USD 23.3 billion) reported the largest net revenue, followed by Germany (USD 6.1 billion), the U.K. (USD 5.4 billion) and France (USD 3 billion).

Online sales channels generated more than half of all trade sector revenue in the U.K. (51.5%) The U.S. (41.6%), Brazil (25.5%) and Sweden (23.5%) also saw large proportions of their total trade sector revenue generated by online sales channels. However, brick and mortar outlets continue to generate the highest share of total trade sector revenue for all the reported countries, except in Slovenia, the U.K. and the U.S.

The U.S. sold 2.6 billion copies of published titles covering the trade and educational sectors in 2018. It was followed by the U.K. (652 million), France (419 million) and Turkey (400 million).

Footnotes

1Trademark filing activity refers to the total number of classes specified in trademark applications.

2Industrial design filing activity refers to the total number of designs contained in industrial design applications.

3The statistics on the publishing industry come from a joint survey conducted by the International Publishers Association and the World Intellectual Property Organization.

WIPO Officially Launches New IP Portal

 Source: WIPO

 

WIPO has launched its new IP Portal, a one-stop shop to the Organization’s full range of online intellectual property (IP) services. For users of WIPO’s IP services for patents, trademarks and industrial designs, the IP Portal will provide greater consistency in how they interact with WIPO, while maintaining the underlying business processes.

 

“The development of the new IP Portal is part of WIPO’s continual efforts to develop its IP filing and registration systems. As intellectual property rights move to the center of the global economy and usage of our global IP systems increases, WIPO is working to ensure that our growing pool of customers are provided with the modern, functional and easy to use systems they need for seamless operations in foreign markets,” said WIPO Director General Francis Gurry.

“By grouping access to our IP systems in one interface, with one sign-in protocol, the IP Portal is improving the overall experience for our customers. This is particularly relevant for multinationals as well as for newer users such as small and medium enterprises and individual businesses, especially in developing countries. The IP Portal also means greater efficiencies in WIPO’s internal administration of its IP systems, resulting in cost savings and other benefits.”

Key features

• Unified navigation – Harmonized top navigation on all existing IP services, facilitating movement between services.
• Single sign on – Log in just once using your existing WIPO Account username and password to navigate freely between services.
• Modernized look and feel – Integrated services are implementing a common user interface for a consistent, unified user experience.
• Customized dashboard – New, widget-based dashboard for logged in users, providing an overview of and shortcuts to existing IP services as well as a summary of transactions, portfolios and outstanding actions.
• Streamlined payments – You can view and process your payments in the IP Portal for Hague transactions.  PCT and Madrid transactions will follow at a later stage.  New payment channels such as PayPal are being introduced, but you can still use your Current Account at WIPO as your primary payment method.
• Single messaging system – Gradual introduction of a centralized messaging system for our IP services. Note: Messages will continue to be sent via email, and will still exist within the business systems too.

 

 

СОИС публикува Глобалния иновационен индекс за 2019 г.

 

Глобалният иновационен индекс е годишен доклад, който предоставя информация относно иновационното представяне на 129 държави. Всяка година докладът има тема, като тази година тя е "Създаване на здравословен живот - бъдещето на медицинските иновации".

В класацията на държавите, България е на 40-то място, като през 2018 г. се намираше на 37-мо място.

 

Целият доклад може да намерите тук.

 

International Conference on Intellectual Property and Development: How to Benefit from the IP System

Source: WIPO

 

Hundreds of member state delegates, observers and other participants from across the globe joined a high-level discussion at WIPO on how to use the intellectual property system to further economic, cultural and social growth in developing countries.

The “International Conference on Intellectual Property and Development – How to Benefit from the IP System” took place on May 20, 2019, under the auspices of WIPO’s Committee on Development and Intellectual Property (CDIP).

WIPO Director General Francis Gurry welcomed the participants, including hundreds of viewers registered to join in remotely via webcasting, and outlined how IP helps to promote development.

“The main impact on development, the direct impact, is through innovation and creative and cultural production. And these, of course, are the reasons for which we have intellectual property,” said Mr. Gurry.

Mr. Gurry highlighted several challenges for developing countries, including how to prioritize and strategize for innovation among other pressing policy requirements and how to handle the local ramifications of fast-changing technologies created in a global context.

The keynote speaker, Kenyan Cabinet Secretary for Sports, Culture and Heritage Amina C. Mohamed, discussed her country’s experiences with IP.

“The need for intellectual property rights to protect the inventions and creative works of individuals and firms is not new and has been recognized for centuries,” she said. “This need has, as you well know, acquired unprecedented importance in our age, when knowledge capital, the product of the intellect, has increasingly become the basis of social and economic progress.”

She said that IP will play an important role in the common response to global challenges including climate change, global health and food security. Amidst a wide range of issues, Ms. Mohamed highlighted the need for increasing use of the IP system by some competitors in the global sports industry - echoing the theme of World IP Day 2019 Reach for Gold: IP and Sports.

World Intellectual Property Day 2019 “Reach for Gold: IP and Sports”

Source: WIPO

  

Since its inception in 2000, every year on April 26, World IP Day highlights, through the lens of a specific theme, how IP rights encourage innovation and creativity. This year’s theme is “Reach for Gold: IP and Sports.” More than 400 grassroots-organized celebrations are planned worldwide for World IP Day 2019, with other events expected in the coming days.

“This year’s World Intellectual Property Day campaign celebrates the positive role that intellectual property plays in encouraging sports, a wonderful range of pursuits in which human beings have always engaged and which enrich our lives in so many different ways,” said WIPO Director GeneralFrancis Gurry in his World IP Day 2019 message.

“Intellectual property rights underlie and empower the financial model of all sporting events worldwide. IP rights are at the heart of the global sports ecosystem and all the commercial relationships that make sports happen and that allow us to tune in to sporting action whenever, wherever, and however we want,” he said.

Previously, fans purchased a ticket to witness an event, in a stadium. Now, broadcasters make it possible for a global fan base to tune into and connect with a sporting event, itself transformed by technological advancements, Mr. Gurry said.

While technology has always played a role in the sports landscape, recent advancements are fueling sports evolution like never before. For instance, widely used wearable tech - smart sports equipment embedded with sensors - enables athletes to avoid injury and better monitor and improve their performance.

And in the sports stadium, huge investments in innovative technologies ensure fans have access to a rich blend of physical and digital experiences that connect them more closely with the on-field action.

Cutting-edge technologies, from sophisticated sports prostheses to satellite navigation systems that guide blind athletes, are also enabling athletes living with disabilities to achieve record-breaking performances.

“All this is possible because of technological innovations, which are empowered and encouraged by intellectual property,” said Mr. Gurry.

Strategic use of trademarks can generate significant revenue streams.

“Trademarks, which underpin sports branding, are an exceptionally important intellectual property right for teams and athletes to differentiate themselves and stand apart in a highly competitive market. Trademark rights are critical in allowing individual players and teams to gain a monetary reward from, for example, merchandising … and sponsorship deals,” the Director General said.

In addition, design contributes to the distinct identity of a product – competitors’ sports gear, for example – rendering it more appealing to consumers, adding commercial value.

“Design … enables teams, organizers of sporting competitions and sports brands to develop and promote their unique and distinct identity and for fans to distinguish between them,” Mr. Gurry said.

More information on how the entire range of IP rights– patents, trademarks, industrial designs, copyright and others – support sports development is available in “Intellectual Property and Sports: Tracing the Connections.”

Innovation in the sports industry

In a snapshot view of global patenting activity over the past five years in the sports industry, new figures revealed for World Intellectual Property Day 2019 show that U.S. sports giant Nike is the top filer of sports-related international patent applications through WIPO.

In total, 2,078 sports-related applications[*] under WIPO’s Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) were published by WIPO in 2018, a 9% increase on figures for 2017 (1,900 PCT applications) and a 41% increase on figures for 2014 (1,470 PCT applications).

Top PCT sport-related applicants (2014-2018)

Applicant	Sport-related PCT applications (published 2014-2018)
NIKE	239
KARSTEN MANUFACTURING CORPORATION	77
3M INNOVATIVE PROPERTIES COMPANY	44
SONY CORPORATION	43
ICON HEALTH & FITNESS, INC.	43
ENPLAS CORPORATION	37
DECATHLON	28
GOLFZON CO., LTD	27
SHENZHEN ESMARTGYM SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD	25
PARSONS XTREME GOLF, LLC	25

WIPO’s PATENTSCOPE database provides access to international Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) applications, as well as to patent documents of participating national and regional patent offices. It is a valuable tool in searching for published patent applications around the world.

  

 

WIPO Launches State-of-the-Art Artificial Intelligence-Based Image Search Tool for Brands

 Source: WIPO

The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) has launched a new artificial intelligence (AI)-powered image search technology that makes it faster and easier to establish the distinctiveness of a trademark in a target market.

Earlier-generation image search tools primarily determine trademark image similarity by identifying shapes and colors in marks. WIPO’s new AI-based technology improves on this technology by using deep machine learning to identify combinations of concepts – such as an apple, an eagle, a tree, a crown, a car, a star – within an image to find similar marks that have previously been registered.

The new technology results in a narrower and more precise group of potentially similar marks, facilitating greater certainty in strategic planning for brand expansion into new markets. With fewer results to scrutinize, this also translates into labor-cost savings for trademark examiners, attorneys and paralegals, industry practitioners and researchers. (Example below.)

“In the field of trademarks, our state-of-the-art AI technology is a major improvement that will create greater certainty for the development of new image marks and greater ease for monitoring potentially misleading or conflicting new registrations,” said WIPO Director General Francis Gurry. “This kind of enhanced business intelligence is invaluable in a globalized economy in which the volume of economic agents seeking brand protection is expanding rapidly.” 

WIPO’s new AI search technology leverages deep neural networks and figurative elements classification data from the Madrid System for the International Registration of Marks and from large trademark offices.

All users can access the AI search technology for free through WIPO’s Global Brand Database, where it has been fully integrated into the database search engine.

Search coverage

The new search functionality covers the national collections of 45 trademark offices already participating in the project - even if they have not been using a classification system for figurative elements. This represents a total number of almost 38 million trademarks to date. WIPO periodically adds new collections from around the world to the database.

“The increasing demand for IP rights across the globe is overwhelming current-generation systems, which is why WIPO is leading on the development of artificial intelligence-based tools that improve the global IP system,” said Mr. Gurry, adding: “A larger data pool means better AI results, so I encourage trademark offices whose collections are not included in the Global Brand Database to consider adding them as soon as they can.” 

The AI image similarity algorithm allows users to combine it with any other search criteria, for example restricting the results list to a given set of jurisdictions or to one or several parts of the Nice Classification – an international classification of goods and services applied for the registration of marks.

Users submitting a complex or composite image may use an in-built editing tool for close cropping of a searched region of interest in the image, further simplifying the searched image for more relevant results. 

 

United States of America Joins WIPO’s Marrakesh Treaty as 50th Member In Major Advance for the Global Blind Community

Source: WIPO

The United States of America has joined WIPO’s fast-growing Marrakesh Treaty as its 50^th member, adding a major global publishing center to the Treaty that promotes the increased worldwide availability of texts specially adapted for use by persons with visual or print impairments.

The U.S. is home to the largest number of English-language texts in accessible formats, such as Braille, for use by people living with print or visual disabilities. The Treaty eases the creation and international transfer of accessible texts among its 50 contracting parties, which cover 78 countries (including the 28-member European Union).

U.S. President Donald J. Trump signed the Marrakesh Treaty ratification document, which was received by WIPO Director General Francis Gurry from Mark Cassayre, Chargé d’Affaires of the U.S. Mission to the United Nations in Geneva, on February 8, 2019.

When the Treaty takes effect in the U.S. in three months, some 550,000 accessible texts will become immediately available to visually impaired persons living in Marrakesh Treaty-adherent countries, according to figures from the U.S.-based National Federation of the Blind.

“The Marrakesh Treaty is WIPO’s fastest-growing treaty and we hope it becomes a universal one soon, so visually impaired people in every corner of the globe can more easily benefit from learning and culture no matter where it is created,” said Mr. Gurry. “The U.S. already houses the world’s largest repository of accessible English-language material, representing a major increase  in the global resource base for visually impaired people living in countries that have joined the Marrakesh Treaty,” he said.

“I’m proud of American leadership and the USPTO’s efforts in the negotiation of the Marrakesh Treaty, and the opportunities that our ratification creates for the blind and visually impaired community in the United States and around the world,” said Andrei Iancu, Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). “This treaty establishes an important mechanism to both protect intellectual property rights and expand access to information and resources.”

“The United States’ formal membership in the Marrakesh Treaty marks a major achievement for our country and a significant positive step forward for the millions of persons who are blind and visually impaired throughout the world,” said Karyn A. Temple, Acting Register of Copyrights and Director of the United States Copyright Office. “The United States will now join our fellow nations in promoting greater accessibility to print materials around the globe.”

“The National Federation of the Blind seeks the removal of all artificial or unnecessary barriers to access to knowledge by the blind,” said Mark Riccobono, President of the National Federation of the Blind. “That is why we championed the Marrakesh Treaty and fought for its signing and ratification by the United States. Today’s deposit of the US ratification instrument represents the culmination of that effort, but even more importantly, it represents greater access to the world’s literature and knowledge for blind people in America and across the world. We are therefore pleased to celebrate this historic moment with our blind brothers and sisters everywhere.”

“We pause to celebrate this moment as the United States formally joins the Marrakesh Treaty," said Maria A. Pallante, President and CEO of the Association of American Publishers. “Having worked so tirelessly with so many talented partners to realize a better legal framework for accessible formats, publishers now salute the many readers throughout the world who are blind, visually impaired or otherwise living with print disabilities. Congratulations and happy reading!"

Marrakesh Treaty – Ending the “book famine”

Contracting parties to the “Marrakesh Treaty to Facilitate Access to Published Works for Persons Who Are Blind, Visually Impaired or Otherwise Print Disabled” adopt national law provisions that permit the production of books in accessible formats, such as braille, e-text, audio or large print, by organizations known as authorized entities that serve people who are print disabled.  It also allows for the exchange of such accessible texts across national boundaries, all without requesting authorization from the copyright owner.  

The World Health Organization estimates that 253 million are living with visually impairments around the world, with the majority located in lower-income countries.

The Treaty was adopted on June 27, 2013, at a diplomatic conference organized by WIPO and hosted by the Kingdom of Morocco in Marrakesh. The treaty entered into force on September 30, 2016, three months after it gained the necessary 20 ratifications or accessions by WIPO members.

ABC - The Accessible Books Consortium

WIPO and its partners created the Accessible Books Consortium (ABC) in 2014 to help implement the Marrakesh Treaty at a practical level. Its activities include the ABC Global Book Service, with 320,000 titles currently available for cross-border exchange under the Treaty’s terms. This number will eventually grow to 370,000 after the Treaty enters into force in the U.S., when titles can be added from the U.S. National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS), a long-standing member of ABC.

Forty-seven authorized entities have joined the ABC Global Book Service, which contains accessible books in 76 languages. The majority of the Book Service’s titles are available in high-quality, human-narrated audiobooks.

ABC also works to promote the creation of “born-accessible” texts that can be immediately used by people with visual impairments at the time of first publication, further streamlining the process to bring the world’s knowledge and culture into the hands of people living with visual impairments.

The World’s Top 10 Science and Technology Hotspots

Source: WIPO

These are the ten hotspots with most scientific publishing and inventive activity, based on the numbers of scientific publications and WIPO PCT international patent applications published between 2012 and 2016.

 

10th – San Diego, United States of America

Scientific publishing: 34,340 scientific publications, of which 51.4% by University of California. The main field of science was chemistry, which made up 6.6% of publications.

Patents: 18,217 international patent applications filed, of which 57.3% by Qualcomm. The main field of technology was digital communication, which made up 30% of all filings.

9th – Paris, France

Scientific publishing: 94,073 scientific publications, of which 22.2% by CNRS. The main field of science was physics, which made up 7.6% of publications.

Patents: 13,318 international patent applications filed, of which 8% by L’Oréal. The main field of technology was transport, which made up 11.6% of all filings.

8th – New York, United States of America

Scientific publishing: 129,214 scientific publications, of which 13.3% by Columbia University. The main field of science was general and internal medicine, which made up 6% of publications.

Patents: 12,032 international patent applications filed, of which 4.7% by Honeywell. The main field of technology was pharmaceuticals, which made up 14.4% of all filings.

7th – Boston–Cambridge, United States of America

Scientific publishing: 119,240 scientific publications, of which 53.8% by Harvard University. The main field of science was oncology, which made up 5.9% of publications.

Patents: 13,659 international patent applications filed, of which 6.4% by M.I.T. The main field of technology was pharmaceuticals, which made up 16.9% of all filings.

6th – Osaka–Kobe–Kyoto, Japan

Scientific publishing: 67,781 scientific publications, of which 22% by Kyoto University. The main field of science was chemistry, which made up 10.2% of publications.

Patents: 27,046 international patent applications filed, of which 10.3% by Murata Manufacturing. The main field of technology was electrical machinery, which made up 14% of all filings.

5th – Beijing, China

Scientific publishing: 197,175 scientific publications, of which 23.5% by Chinese Academy of Sciences. The main field of science was chemistry, which made up 10.6% of publications.

Patents: 18,041 international patent applications filed, of which 21.1% by BOE Technology Group. The main field of technology was digital communication, which made up 25.5% of all filings.

4th – San Jose–San Francisco, United States of America

Scientific publishing: 90,238 scientific publications, of which 38.2% by University of California. The main field of science was chemistry, which made up 6.6% of publications.

Patents: 36,715 international patent applications filed, of which 7.2% by Google. The main field of technology was computer technology, which made up 22.9% of all filings.

3rd – Seoul, Republic of Korea

Scientific publishing: 130,290 scientific publications, of which 16.3% by Seoul National University. The main field of science was engineering, which made up 7.5% of publications.

Patents: 37,118 international patent applications filed, of which 17.4% by LG Electronics. The main field of technology was digital communication, which made up 15.8% of all filings.

2nd – Shenzhen–Hong Kong, China

Scientific publishing: 40,920 scientific publications, of which 18.4% by University of Hong Kong. The main field of science was engineering, which made up 10.7% of publications.

Patents: 48,084 international patent applications filed, of which 30.4% by ZTE Corp. The main field of technology was digital communication, which made up 42.3% of all filings.

1st – Tokyo-Yokohama, Japan

Scientific publishing: 141,584 scientific publications, of which 13.9% by University of Tokyo. The main field of science was physics, which made up 9.4% of publications.

Patents: 104,746 international patent applications filed, of which 6.8% by Mitsubishi Electric. The main field of technology was electrical machinery, which made up 9.8% of all filings.

World Intellectual Property Indicators: Filings for Patents, Trademarks, Industrial Designs Reach New Records on Strength in China

Source: WIPO 

  

Worldwide demand for intellectual property (IP) tools reached record heights in 2017, with China driving the growth in filings for patents, trademarks, industrial designs and other IP rights that are at the heart of the global economy.

Innovators across the globe filed 3.17 million patent applications in 2017, up 5.8% for an eighth straight yearly increase, according to WIPO’s annual World Intellectual Property Indicators (WIPI) report. Global trademark filing activity totaled 12.39 million, while that for industrial designs reached 1.24 million.

China recorded the highest application volume for each of these IP rights as innovators and creators inside the country, as well as foreign entities, seek to protect and promote their work in one of the world’s fastest-growing major economies.

“Demand for IP protection is rising faster than the rate of global economic growth, illustrating that IP-backed innovation is an increasingly critical component of competition and commercial activity,” said WIPO Director General Francis Gurry. “In just a few decades, China has constructed an IP system, encouraged homegrown innovation, joined the ranks of the world’s IP leaders - and is now driving worldwide growth in IP filings.”