Module III: Managing Intellectual Property

Some important IPR-related institutions were reviewed by Module III faculty, and are briefly described below.

• WIPO: The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) is an international organization dedicated to ensuring that the rights of creators and owners of intellectual property are protected worldwide. Nearly 90 percent of the world’s countries are members of WIPO.
• WTO: The World Trade Organization (WTO) was established in 1995 as the successor to GATT--the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade. The mission of the WTO is to reduce trade barriers between nations.
• UPOV: The International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV) is an intergovernmental organization with headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. It is based on the International Convention for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants, as revised since its signature in Paris on December 2, 1961. The objective of the Convention is to provide intellectual property protection for new varieties of plants.
• ARIPO: The African Regional Industrial Property Organization (ARIPO) is a regional intellectual property rights organization for anglophone Africa, with member states from western, southern, eastern, and central Africa. ARIPO was originally founded in 1976 with assistance from WIPO and the UN Economic Commission for Africa.
• OAPI: The African Organization of Intellectual Property (OAPI) is similar to ARIPO, but serves francophone Africa.