World Intellectual Property Organization [WIPO] Law and Legal Definition
World Intellectual Property Organization or WIPO is a specialized agency of the United Nations. It was established by the WIPO Convention in 1967 with a mandate from its member states to promote the protection of IP throughout the world through cooperation among states and in collaboration with other international organizations. WIPO is dedicated to developing a balanced and accessible international intellectual property system, which rewards creativity, stimulates innovation and contributes to economic development while safeguarding the public interest.
More than 90 percent of the countries of the world are members of WIPO. At present WIPO has 184 members. WIPO’s member states determine the strategic direction and activities of the organization. They meet in the assemblies, committees and working groups. WIPO is largely self-financing and about 90 percent of the organization's budgeted expenditure comes from earnings from the services which WIPO provides to users of the international registration systems (PCT, Madrid system, The Hague System etc.). WIPO’s headquarters is at Geneva, Switzerland.
