Businesses and innovators need easy, cost-effective ways to protect their inventions, their brands, and their designs in multiple countries.
WIPO offers a range of global services for protecting intellectual property (IP) across borders, and for resolving IP disputes outside the courts.
Policy

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WIPO provides a global policy forum, where governments, intergovernmental organizations, industry groups and civil society come together to address evolving intellectual property (IP) issues.

Our member states and observers meet regularly in the various WIPO Committees and decision-making bodies. Their challenge is to negotiate the changes and new rules needed to ensure that the international IP system keeps pace with the changing world, and continues to serve its fundamental purpose of encouraging innovation and creativity.

Cooperation

We cooperate with member states, intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations, and the enterprise sector worldwide to help them realize the benefits of the international intellectual property (IP) system for society.

Our cooperation activities take many forms including:

Assisting governments and individuals to use IP for economic development;

Building public-private partnerships to address global challenges; and

Cooperating with member states to develop global IP infrastructure and build respect for IP.

Resources

WIPO is the world’s most comprehensive source of data on the intellectual property (IP) system, as well as of empirical studies, reports and factual information on IP.

Whether you are seeking statistical, legal or technical information, this page is a gateway to our unique collections of resources and reference material. We make all our publications and data collections freely available online.

What is Intellectual Property?

Intellectual property (IP) refers to creations of the mind, such as inventions; literary and artistic works; designs; and symbols, names and images used in commerce.

IP is protected in law by, for example, patents, copyright and trademarks, which enable people to earn recognition or financial benefit from what they invent or create. By striking the right balance between the interests of innovators and the wider public interest, the IP system aims to foster an environment in which creativity and innovation can flourish.

Publications

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Understanding Copyright and Related Rights ǀ Understanding Industrial Property

Inside WIPO

What is WIPO?

WIPO is the global forum for intellectual property (IP) services, policy, information and cooperation. We are a self-funding agency of the United Nations, with 193 member states.

Our mission is to lead the development of a balanced and effective international IP system that enables innovation and creativity for the benefit of all. Our mandate, governing bodies and procedures are set out in the WIPO Convention, which established WIPO in 1967.

WIPO