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Building Respect for Intellectual Property

At WIPO we work globally, with our member states as well as public and private organizations, to help develop understanding of and respect for intellectual property (IP).

Building respect for IP means helping create an environment in which IP can fulfill its role to stimulate innovation and creation.  It also means fostering an environment in which the system of protection provides equitable benefits for both owners and users of IP.

Through our activities in this area, we aim to facilitate social and economic development and welfare, in accordance with the WIPO Development Agenda (Recommendation 45). Building respect for IP requires integrating elements encompassing developments in legislation, awareness and cultural change, business and technology solutions, and institutional collaboration.

We provide the forum at which the relevant stakeholders continue to identify, discuss and elaborate creative solutions for building respect for IP.

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Building Respect for IP – An overview of recent WIPO activities in the field of building respect for IP; and developments from around the globe. Quarterly.

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WIPO's role

Policy dialogue: Advisory Committee on Enforcement (ACE)

The ACE is the policy arm of building respect for IP.  The Committee was established in 2002 and works on issues related to building respect, such as technical assistance, policy coordination, and public education.

Meetings and documents

(Photo: WIPO)

Assistance to member states

A pillar of our work is providing technical assistance to member states (capacity building, legislative assistance) to help create a sustainable environment of respect for IP.

Cooperation with partners

Given today's increasingly borderless global world, IP issues are often best tackled in close cooperation with a range of international actors.

Raising awareness

Fostering a wider understanding of and appreciation for IP assets is a key step in the path to building greater respect for IP.

Topics and issues

(Photo: iStockphoto.com/blacklenz)

Counterfeit goods

Counterfeits impact most industries, ranging from luxury to consumer goods, affecting products as diverse as automotive replacement parts, electrical appliances, pharmaceuticals and toys. The socio-economic effects of counterfeiting may go beyond the interests of IP owners and impact upon consumers and society at large.
(Photo: Istockphoto.com/Garsya)

Private international law

IP infringements routinely impact on multiple territories, resulting in questions of jurisdiction, applicable law, and enforcement and recognition of foreign judgments.
(Photo: Project REN/UNEP)

Disposal of IP-infringing goods

Every day customs authorities around the world seize IP-infringing goods. The volume and nature of goods seized demands a planned, coordinated, and environmentally-safe approach to disposing of them. 

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