Every year on 26th April, World Intellectual Property Day, also widely referred to as World IP Day, is celebrated for spreading awareness about the crucial role of the Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) in encouraging innovation and creativity. Moreover, World IP Day provides an opportunity to the inventors, IP offices, and enterprises to discuss and connect, and further come up with emerging innovations for shaping the world and improving the lives of people.
History and Background of World IP Day
The event was put forward by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) in 2000 to spread awareness corresponding to the impact of patents, trademarks, industrial designs, and copyright on our everyday lives, and celebrate the contribution made by innovators to the development of societies worldwide. WIPO is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) that is committed to creating an approachable and balanced international IP system. While safeguarding the public interest, WIPO encourages innovation, contributes to economic development, and suitably rewards creativity. The reason why 26th April was picked up for celebrating World IP Day is that the date coincides with the date on which WIPO Convention, also formally known as the Convention Establishing the World Intellectual Property Organization, had come into force in 1970. With World IP Day, WIPO looks forward to minimizing the gap between IP as a legal or business concept and its utmost relevance in the lives of people across the globe.
The Theme of World IP Day
Every year, a theme or message is associated with the event of World IP Day. For instance, last year, the theme was “Reach for Gold – IP and Sports,” which focused on how intellectual property rights support, encourage, and protect the development and enjoyment of sports worldwide. Without any second thoughts, the sports industry has indeed achieved immense success in the past few years by providing entertainment and emerging as a source of employment. Consequently, World IP Day in 2019 paid due attention to empowering the financial model of sporting events organized around the world. It emphasized the dire need for having IPRs in place to secure the economic value of sports and maintain commercial relationships. The theme for World IP Day this year is “Innovate for a Green Future,” which looks forward to celebrating green innovation and sustainable technology. WIPO is all in high spirits to celebrate the day this year with its even more than 1400 platform users and almost 100 partners.
How World IP Day is Celebrated Every Year
For promoting World IP Day every year and building awareness about IP and its benefits, WIPO efficiently works with many community groups, government agencies, non-government organizations, and individuals, and organizes various activities and events. There are stage concerts and public performances, essay competitions for young enthusiasts, seminars and free lectures in universities, and exhibitions at art galleries, museums, schools, and other educational institutes, all focusing on the theme of World IP Day. Hence, we can conclude by saying that every year on 26th April, WIPO looks forward to spreading awareness about the role IPRs play in encouraging innovation and creativity.