The 66th series of meetings of the Assemblies of the Member States of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) opened yesterday at the headquarters of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) in Geneva. The meeting will be held from July 8-17, 2025.
After the adoption of the agenda, Mr. Darren Tang, Director General of the WIPO, addressed the audience. Darren Tang called for joint action by all to ensure the global development of the intellectual property system that would truly serve the creative people all around the world. This year `s WIPO General Assembly is the largest so far, with 1,600 registered delegates, many of whom were at the ministerial level.
In his address, Mr. Darren Tang states that today it has been more important than ever to remember what we have in common and what unites us: faith in the human spirit and creativity. This is how invention are made: “it is the spirit that gave us fire, the wheel, agriculture, medicine and science. More recently, it has inspired the creation of internet, new modes of transportation and communication, as well as breakthrough in medicine and artificial intelligence”, he added. “As a global intellectual property community, our shared responsibility to humanity is to nurture that spirit. Because, in doing so, we are not just protected ideas – we are advancing what is essential for humanity”.
Global innovation activity has proven resilient despite the challenges, Tang said, noting that more than 40 applications for intellectual property rights are filed every minute all around the world. This is one indicator of the shift in value from tangible goods to intangible assets such as data, software and brands. The WIPO estimates that the global value of intangible assets reached almost US$80 trillion last year – more than the combined value of all the world`s largest economies.
He also presented WIPO`s activities within its four main pillars of actions, emphasizing that programs and projects in the last four years have reached 400,000 young people, 300,000 women and 200,000 SMEs – groups that are traditionally underrepresented in the intellectual property system.
The economic headwinds that have been blowing in the recent years have been a challenge for all national intellectual property offices, as well as for the WIPO, as Darren Tang said. However, he emphasized that despite the above mentioned, we may be pleased to note that the number of applications filed for the protection of the intellectual property rights through the PCT, Madrid and the Hague systems increased last year by 0.5%, 1.2% and 6.8%, while the use of the services of the WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center increased by as much as 25%.
“With your support, we have embarked on a transformation of the WIPO`s global intellectual property system to make it relevant, concrete and visible to many”, said Tang.
See part of Darren Tang`s address here, and you can read the full text at the link.
The next item of the agenda was statements, first by representatives of group of countries, then by ministries of member states, and addresses of states in their national capacities. On behalf of the delegation of the Republic of Serbia, Mr. Vladimir Marić, Director of the Intellectual Property Office, made the following statement:
“Dear Chairman, on behalf of the delegation of the Republic of Serbia, allow me to thank you and your team for your dedication and devoted work. My country`s delegation also expresses its gratitude to the Director General of the WIPO, Mr. Darren Tang, as well as to the Secretariat of the WIPO, for the exceptional organization of these meetings.
In today`s world, the importance of IP rights is constantly growing. Appropriate education in this area together with the strengthening of institutions responsible for the implementation of these rights, are key factors for success. It is not the mentality of the people that shapes the economy, but the economy, together with stable institutions, shapes the mentality of the people and the overall social reality.
Building the efficient and functional intellectual property system is a complex and expensive task. Each country must develop its IP system in accordance with its own needs and capabilities. The Republic of Serbia has been working on this for many years, and I assure you that our progress would not be possible without the support of our partners – primarily the WIPO. The services that the WIPO provides in all areas are unique I both their nature and their quality.
Serbia is currently developing a new strategy in the field of IP with the support of the WIPO. The strategy aims to address the key challenges that Serbian society faces in the field of IPR protection. In this brief introductory statement, I would like to express our gratitude to the WIPO for the valuable support it provides us in this regard.
I would also like to take this opportunity to highlight that the Intellectual Property office of the Republic of Serbia will celebrate its 105th anniversary in November. We are grateful to Director Tang and his team for the strong support in the organization of this important celebration”.
You can see the statement of the Director of the IPO (in English) here.
At the 66th series of the WIPO General Assemblies, the Republic of Serbia is represented by the Assistant Director of the Office. Ms. Daniela Zlatić Šutic, as well as the representatives of the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Serbia to the UN and other International Organizations in Geneva, Nikola Ratković, Deputy Head of the Mission and Jovana Đurović Vojnović, Third Secretary of the Permanent Mission to the UN.
Copyright Notice: Photos used in this news item were taken from WIPO`s Flickr Account.
