Innovation and creativity in IP have been a very resilient part of the global economy, including Brazil, said WIPO (World Intellectual Property Organization) Director General Daren Tang, in a luncheon lecture promoted by ABPI at Rio Othon Palace on March 18th. Tang, who carried out an extensive agenda in Brasilia with ministers, business leaders, and other government officials, provided encouraging figures on the world’s IP performance. According to him, amid the pandemic, international patent applications within the scope of WIPO reached the highest level ever: in 2020, they grew 1.6% and last year 0.9%. The applications for trademarks in the Madrid system increased by 14%. “Innovation is resilient, and another trend in recent decades is that innovation is globalized: seven out of ten IP applications come from outside Europe and the US”, he added.
In his presentation, the Director General of WIPO highlighted the importance of broader participation by society, especially young people, in the global system of intellectual property. “We need to take IP out of the shadows and into the light”, he said. Tang stated that, on April 26th, when World IP Day is celebrated, the theme will focus on youth innovating for a better world. “We see this day as an opportunity for young people to find out how IP can help turn their ideas into reality and learn how to make a living from their inventions and creations. Besides recognizing how IP can make a difference in causes they passionately care about”.
ABPI’s president, Gabriel Leonardos, considered that, due to its unprecedented nature, the visit of a senior WIPO official to the event organized by ABPI is a positive sign of Brazil’s importance in the global innovation system. Leonardos pointed out that, in his speech, the Director General of WIPO, as a representative of the United Nations, reiterated his faith in multilateralism. “This is positive because, in recent decades, we have seen a proliferation of bilateral agreements, which can generate a decompensation in world trade.”
The lunch was attended by the president of the BPTO, Cláudio Furtado and the Director of Patents of the institute, Liane Lage; Judge Márcia Maria Nunes de Barros, of the 13th Federal Court of Rio de Janeiro; the president of AIPPI, Luiz Henrique do Amaral, the president of ASPI (São Paulo Intellectual Property Association), Daniel Adensohn; and Ambassador Alexandre Parola, among other guests.
