WBD Celebrates World Intellectual Property Day

On this day, Womble Bond Dickinson joins the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and IP communities around the globe to celebrate the 24th Annual World Intellectual Property Day – a recognition adopted by the WIPO General Assembly in 1999.

Observed annually on April 26 to coincide with the date that the Convention Establishing WIPO entered into force in 1970, World IP Day raises awareness of how patents, copyright, trademarks and designs impact on daily life, while celebrating creativity, and the contribution made by creators and innovators to the development of economies and societies across the globe.

This year’s theme is “IP and the SDGs: Building our common future with innovation and creativity.” These SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals), of which there are 17, were adopted by all UN Member States in 2015 as part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. However, as WIPO Director General Daren Tang stated in a recent video address, only 15% of the SDGs are on track.

“To put the SDGs back on track, we need to harness the power of intellectual property as a catalyst to unleash innovation and creativity in the service of the SDGs…. From electric vehicles to lifesaving drugs, clean and green tech, to AI and digital technologies – IP can be the vehicle to turn bold new ideas into real world impact.”

New to World IP Day in 2024 is the World Intellectual Property Day Changemarkers’ Gallery, celebrating nominated innovators, creators, entrepreneurs, and IP practitioners who are using IP rights to accelerate the innovation and creativity needed to achieve the SDGs (well worth looking at).

Today’s theme also builds upon a recent WIPO Report showing a record number of patents supporting the UN SDGs: nearly l in 3 active patent families. Of the 17 SDGs, #9 (Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure) leads the way by number of patents, followed in no particular order by #13 (Climate Action), #7 (Affordable and Clean Energy), #3 (Good Health and Well-Being) and #12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), as seen below in Figure 2 of the Report. This growth is largely attributable to innovation in five key geographies: the US, Europe, China, Japan, and the Republic of Korea (in order by number of SDG-related active international patent families).

Intellectual property plays a key role in advancing global sustainability efforts, as demonstrated by patent-related data tracking innovation around the world. So in the words of Mr. Tang, “let us come together to use the power of IP to achieve the SDGs and build a better world for all.”