World Intellectual Property Day

File:WIPO Celebrates Visionary Innovators.jpg (IP) behind Steve Jobs' innovations opened to the public at WIPO from 30 March 2012, to World Intellectual Property Day on 26 April 2012. The exhibition tied in with 2012's World Intellectual Property Day theme – 'Visionary Innovators'.]]

In a statement to the 33rd Session of the Assemblies of the Member States of WIPO in September 1988, the Director General of the National Algerian Institute for Industrial Property (INAPI) “suggested that an International Intellectual Property Day be instituted."{{Cite web |title=ASSEMBLIES OF THE MEMBER STATES OF WIPO. GENERAL REPORT |url=https://www.wipo.int/edocs/mdocs/govbody/en/a_33/a_33_8.pdf}} In a subsequent letter to the WIPO Director General dated 7 April 1999, Mr. Amor Bouhnik, Director General of INAPI noted that the aim of establishing such a day "would be to set up a framework for broader mobilization and awareness, to open up access to the promotional aspect of innovation and to recognize the achievements of promoters of intellectual property throughout the world."Letter of 7 April 1999 from Amor Bouhnik, Director General of the National Algerian Institute for Industrial Property, to the Director General of WIPO (Ref: 027 DG/MS/99) in World Intellectual Property Organization web site, {{cite web|url=http://www.wipo.int/documents/en/document/govbody/wo_gb_ga/ga24_7.htm|title=WIPO General Assembly, Twenty-Fourth (14th Ordinary) Session, Geneva, 20 to 29 September 1999, Institutionalization of an International Day for Intellectual Property. Proposal by the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria|access-date=28 April 2007|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20031222105430/http://www.wipo.int/documents/en/document/govbody/wo_gb_ga/ga24_7.htm|archive-date=22 December 2003}}, WO/GA/24/7, 10 August 1999.

On 9 August 1999, in a letter from Jiang Ying, Commissioner of the State Intellectual Property Office of the People’s Republic of China, the Chinese delegation proposed "that WIPO adopt the commemoration of its 30th anniversary of founding (26 April) as the “World Intellectual Property Day," as an annual event. The Commissioner noted that the aim of doing so was “to further promote the awareness of intellectual property protection, expand the influence of intellectual property protection across the world, urge countries to publicize and popularize intellectual property protection laws and regulations, enhance the public legal awareness of intellectual property rights, encourage invention-innovation activities in various countries and strengthen international exchange in the intellectual property field."Letter dated 9 August 1999 from Jiang Ying, Commissioner of the State Intellectual Property Office of the People's Republic of China, to Dr. Kamil Idris, Director General of World Intellectual Property Organization, Geneva, Switzerland, in World Intellectual Property Organization web site, {{cite web|url=http://www.wipo.int/documents/en/document/govbody/wo_gb_ga/ga24_8.htm|title=WIPO General Assembly, Twenty-Fourth (14th Ordinary) Session, Geneva, 20 to 29 September 1999, Institutionalization of a World Intellectual Property Day. Proposal by the People's Republic of China|date=20 August 1999|access-date=28 April 2007|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20031222105639/http://www.wipo.int/documents/en/document/govbody/wo_gb_ga/ga24_8.htm|archive-date=22 December 2003}}

In October 1999, at its 26th session, the General Assembly of WIPO approved the idea of declaring a particular day as a World Intellectual Property Day.World Intellectual Property Organization, [http://www.wipo.int/edocs/mdocs/govbody/en/wo_ga_26/wo_ga_26_2.pdf WIPO General Assembly, Twenty-Sixth (12th Extraordinary) Session, Geneva, 25 September to 3 October 2000, Memorandum of the Director General], WO/GA/26/2, 26 July 2000.

Engagement by WIPO’s member states in World Intellectual Property Day has risen since its inception in 2000. In its first year, member states from 59 countries reported official World Intellectual Property Day events.{{Cite web |title=Program Performance Report for the 2000-2001 Biennium |url=https://www.wipo.int/meetings/en/doc_details.jsp?doc_id=2245 |access-date=19 September 2022 |website=www.wipo.int |language=en}} Five years later, in 2005, 110 countries reported official World Intellectual Property Day events,{{Cite news |date=31 July 2006 |title=program performance report for THE 2004-2005 BIENNIUM |work=WIPO |url=https://www.wipo.int/edocs/mdocs/govbody/en/a_42/a_42_2.doc}} and in 2022, the campaign attracted users from 189 member states.{{Cite web |title=Report of the Director General to the Assemblies of WIPO – July 14 to 22, 2022 |url=https://www.wipo.int/about-wipo/en/dg_tang/speeches/a-63-dg-speech.html}}

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Every year hundreds of events are organized around the world by IP offices, law firms, private companies, students and others to celebrate inventors and creators and to promote understanding about the intellectual property system and its associated rights (e.g. copyrights, trademarks, patents, design rights, trade secrets, plant variety rights).

While World Intellectual Property Day is celebrated every year on 26 April, many countries hold their World Intellectual Property Day celebrations on another date. Some, including Peru and Singapore, organize a World Intellectual Property Day week, while others, such as Algeria,{{Cite web |title=Lancement du Mois de la Propriété intellectuelle |url=https://www.wipo.int/about-wipo/fr/offices/algeria/news/2022/news_0002.html |access-date=19 September 2022 |website=www.wipo.int |language=fr}} roll events out over a month. While WIPO identifies a theme and produces a range of promotional materials around that theme, each country may develop its own national campaign in line with local needs.

File:World Intellectual Property Day 2023 "Women in Science – Shaping the Future" Roundtable (52853428100).jpg

To celebrate World IP Day 2023, WIPO, in collaboration with UNESCO and the Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO), brought together women experts in science, including Laureates from the “L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science Program" to discuss strategies that women can employ to create value from their research, practical ways to encourage women and young girls to enter STEM fields, and how intellectual property has enabled them to implement their research to give real-world benefits.{{Cite web |title=Roundtable – Women in Science – Shaping the Future |url=https://www.wipo.int/meetings/en/details.jsp?meeting_id=77291 |date=26 April 2023 |website=WIPO }}

File:Director Rosanna Díaz Costa at World Intellectual Property Day 2023.jpg

WIPO also hosted the event "Film Industry: A Woman’s Perspective"{{Cite web |title=World IP Day 2023 - Film Industry: A Woman's Perspective |url=https://www.eventbrite.com/e/world-ip-day-2023-film-industry-a-womans-perspective-tickets-592290766627 |website=Eventbrite by World Intellectual Property Organization}} in collaboration with the Permanent Mission of Peru to the International Organizations in Geneva. The event included a screening of the award-winning film, “Un Mundo para Julius / A World for Julius” and featured a discussion with Rosanna Díaz Costa, the director, who shared her insights on the film industry from a woman's perspective.

File:World IP Day 2022- Youth Video Competition Winners Announcement.jpg

For World Intellectual Property Day 2022, nearly 600 World Intellectual Property Day events were recorded across the globe{{Cite web |title=World Intellectual Property Day Events Calendar |url=https://www.wipo.int/ip-outreach/en/ipday/2022/events_calendar.html |access-date=27 September 2022 |website=www.wipo.int |language=en}} on topical issues relating to the campaign theme IP and Youth: Innovating for a Better Future, ranging from the protection of comics in Peru,{{Cite web |title=#SemanaDelaPropiedadIntelectual Más de 18 mil jóvenes siguieron videoconferencias gratuitas sobre cómics organizadas por Indecopi |url=https://www.gob.pe/institucion/indecopi/noticias/603620-semanadelapropiedadintelectual-mas-de-18-mil-jovenes-siguieron-videoconferencias-gratuitas-sobre-comics-organizadas-por-indecopi |access-date=27 September 2022 |website=www.gob.pe |language=es-pe}} to IP and the blockchain.{{Cite web |last=admin |date=28 March 2022 |title=Videoconferenza per la Giornata Mondiale del Diritto d'Autore 2022. Copyright, Blockchain e utilizzo fisico. Il futuro descritto da AIDA. ⋆ AIDA |url=https://www.associazioneaida.org/videoconferenza_worldipday2022/ |access-date=27 September 2022 |website=AIDA |language=it-IT}} World Intellectual Property Day is also an opportunity for leading policymakers to express their support for World Intellectual Property Day and to highlight the relevance of intellectual property to regional{{Citation |title=World IP Day 2022 - A message from the ARIPO Director General | date=25 April 2022 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5R__L4-kL8 |language=en |access-date=27 September 2022}} and national economic development.{{Cite web |last=Alvin |first=Tan |date=26 April 2022 |title=Opening Address by Mr Alvin Tan, Minister of State, Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth & Ministry Of Trade and Industry, at World Intellectual Property Day 2022. |url=https://www.ipos.gov.sg/news/speeches/ViewDetails/opening-address-by-mr-alvin-tan-minister-of-state-ministry-of-culture-community-and-youth-ministry-of-trade-and-industry-at-world-intellectual-property-day-2022/ |access-date=19 September 2022 |website=IPOS |language=en}} World Intellectual Property Day 2022 also featured a panel discussion on Innovating for Better Health: Supporting Young Innovators through IP, was organized in collaboration with the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers & Associations (IFPMA) with the support of the Geneva Health Forum and Speak UP Africa, which brought together young innovators/entrepreneurs and mentors from various countries and international experts.{{Cite web |title=Innovating for Better Health: Supporting Young Innovators Through IP – IFPMA |url=https://backslashcoding.com/work/old_ifpma/events-2/innovating-for-better-health-supporting-young-innovators-through-ip/ |access-date=2025-05-21 |language=en-GB}} {{Cite web |last=MBAYE |first=Bara |date=2022-04-28 |title=Célébration de la Journée mondiale de la propriété intellectuelle en mettant l'accent sur la jeunesse et l'innovation ⋆ Speak Up Africa |url=https://www.speakupafrica.org/fr/celebrating-world-ip-day-with-a-focus-on-youth-and-innovation/ |access-date=2025-05-21 |website=Speak Up Africa |language=fr}} World Intellectual Property Day 2022 also featured the first World Intellectual Day Youth Video Competition.{{cite web |title=World IP Day Youth Video Competition |url=https://www.wipo.int/ip-outreach/en/ipday/2022/video-prize.html |website=www.wipo.int |language=en}} In the Report of the Director General Daren Tang to the Assemblies of WIPO in July 2022, WIPO Director General said, I am also happy to report that this year's World Intellectual Property Day attracted record global engagement. Themed around ‘IP and Youth: Innovating for a Better Future’, we recorded over 15 million impressions across our digital platforms and there were nearly 600 World Intellectual Property Day events across 189 Member States, our largest participation ever.{{Cite web |title=WIPO Director General Addresses the 2022 meetings of the WIPO Assemblies (July 14, 2022) |url=https://www.wipo.int/about-wipo/en/dg_tang/speeches/a-63-dg-speech.html |access-date=19 September 2022 |website=www.wipo.int |language=en}}

Each year, the campaign is rolled out around a topical theme:

• 2025 – Intellectual property and music: Feel the beat of IP{{Cite web |title=World Intellectual Property Day - April 26, 2025 |url=https://www.wipo.int/en/web/ipday/2025/index |access-date=2025-04-10 |website=ipday |language=en-US}}
• 2024 – IP and the SDGs: Building our common future with innovation and creativity{{Cite web |title=World Intellectual Property Day April 26, 2024 |url=https://www.wipo.int/web/ipday/2024-sdgs/index |access-date=11 January 2024 |website=ipday |language=en-US}}
• 2023 – Women and IP: Accelerating Innovation and Creativity{{Cite web |title=World Intellectual Property Day 2023 – Celebrating Creativity & Innovation |url=https://www.wipo.int/web/ipday/2023/index |access-date=2025-05-21 |website=ipday |language=en-US}}
• 2022 – IP and Youth: Innovating for a Better Future{{Cite web |title=World Intellectual Property Day 2022 – Celebrating Creativity & Innovation |url=https://www.wipo.int/web/ipday/2022/index |access-date=2025-05-21 |website=ipday |language=en-US}}
• 2021 – IP and SMEs: Taking Your Ideas to Market{{Cite web |title=World Intellectual Property Day – April 26, 2021 |url=https://www.wipo.int/web/ipday/2021/index |access-date=2025-05-21 |website=ipday |language=en-US}}
• 2020 – Innovate for a Green Future{{Cite web |title=World Intellectual Property Day – April 26, 2020 |url=https://www.wipo.int/web/ipday/2020/index |access-date=2025-05-21 |website=ipday |language=en-US}}
• 2019 – Reach for Gold: IP and Sports{{Cite web |title=World Intellectual Property Day – April 26, 2019 |url=https://www.wipo.int/web/ipday/2019/index |access-date=2025-05-21 |website=ipday |language=en-US}}
• 2018 – Powering Change: Women in Innovation and Creativity{{Cite web |title=World Intellectual Property Day – April 26, 2018 |url=https://www.wipo.int/web/ipday/2018/index |access-date=2025-05-21 |website=ipday |language=en-US}}
• 2017 – Innovation – Improving Lives{{Cite web |title=World Intellectual Property Day – April 26, 2017 |url=https://www.wipo.int/web/ipday/2017/index |access-date=2025-05-21 |website=ipday |language=en-US}}
• 2016 – Digital Creativity: Culture Reimagined.{{Cite web |title=World Intellectual Property Day – April 26, 2016 |url=https://www.wipo.int/web/ipday/2016/index |access-date=2025-05-21 |website=ipday |language=en-US}}
• 2015 – Get Up, Stand Up. For Music.{{Cite web |title=World Intellectual Property Day – April 26, 2015 |url=https://www.wipo.int/web/ipday/2015/index |access-date=2025-05-21 |website=ipday |language=en-US}}
• 2014 – Movies – a Global Passion{{Cite web |title=World Intellectual Property Day – April 26, 2014 |url=https://www.wipo.int/web/ipday/2014/index |access-date=2025-05-21 |website=ipday |language=en-US}}
• 2013 – Creativity – The Next Generation{{Cite web |title=World Intellectual Property Day: Archives |url=https://www.wipo.int/web/ipday/archives |access-date=2025-05-21 |website=ipday |language=en-US}}
• 2012 – Visionary Innovators
• 2011 – Designing the Future
• 2010 – Innovation – Linking the World
• 2009 – Green Innovation
• 2008 – Celebrating innovation and promoting respect for intellectual property
• 2007 – Encouraging Creativity
• 2006 – It Starts with an Idea
• 2005 – Think, Imagine, Create
• 2004 – Encouraging Creativity
• 2003 – Make Intellectual Property Your Business
• 2002 – Encouraging Creativity
• 2001 – Creating the Future Today

File:IP_day_censure_en.png on the occasion of the World Intellectual Property Day]]

This event has been criticized by a number of intellectual property activists and scholars as one-sided propaganda in favor of traditional copyright, ignoring alternatives related to copyleft and the free culture movement. Mike Masnick of Techdirt wrote that World Intellectual Property Day is intended "to promote ever greater protectionism and mercantilism in favor of copyright holders and patent holders, while ignoring any impact on the public of those things. It's a fairly disgusting distortion of the claimed intent of intellectual property."{{Cite web|url=https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20170426/13391137245/world-intellectual-property-day-reading-thomas-macaulay.shtml|title=For World 'Intellectual Property' Day, A Reading From Thomas Macaulay|last=Masnick|first=Mike|website=Techdirt|date=26 April 2017|access-date=26 April 2019}} Zak Rogoff of Defective by Design noted that it is a "global but decidedly not grassroots event".{{Cite web|url=https://www.defectivebydesign.org/organize-idad-2016|title=Organize your community for digital freedom on May 3rd|website=Defective by Design|access-date=26 April 2019}} It has also been criticized by activists from civil society organizations such as IP Justice and the Electronic Information for Libraries who consider it one-sided propaganda as the marketing materials associated with the event, provided by WIPO, "come across as unrepresentative of other views and events".{{citation|last=Bangasser|first=Sandra|date=2009|title=Multilateral Institutions and the Recontextualization of Political Marketing: How the World Intellectual Property Organization''s Outreach Efforts Reflect Changing Audiences}} Michael Geist, a law professor at the University of Ottawa, noted that "World Intellectual Property Day has become little more than a lobbyist day".{{cite web|url=http://www.michaelgeist.ca/2007/04/wipo-day/|title=World Intellectual Property Day|date=26 April 2007|website=Michael Geist|language=en|access-date=26 April 2019}} Cushla Kapitzk from the Queensland University of Technology wrote that most of the WIPO's statements related to promotion of the World Intellectual Property Day are "either exaggerated or unsubstantiated"; noting that for example one of WIPO's claims used to promote this event, namely that "copyright helps bring music to our ears and art, films and literature before our eyes" is "tenuous at best, and lexical association of copyright with things recognised as having social and cultural value ('art', 'film' and 'literature') functions to legitimate its formulation and widespread application".{{cite journal|last=Kapitzke|first=Cushla|date=1 December 2006|title=Intellectual Property Rights: Governing Cultural and Educational Futures|journal=Policy Futures in Education|language=en|volume=4|issue=4|pages=431–445|doi=10.2304/pfie.2006.4.4.431|s2cid=143165888|issn=1478-2103|url=https://eprints.qut.edu.au/5855/1/5855.pdf}}

A number of grassroots-supported observances in opposition of prevalent IP laws celebrated by the World Intellectual Property Day exist, none of them supported by WIPO:

• Culture Freedom Day
• Document Freedom Day
• Hardware Freedom Day
• International Day Against DRM
• Public Domain Day
• Software Freedom Day

• Free culture
• Inventors' Day
• World Book and Copyright Day
• International Women's Day
• World Radio Day

{{Reflist|30em}}

• [http://www.wipo.int/ip-outreach/en/ipday/ World Intellectual Property Day] at the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)
• {{cite web|url=http://www.wipo.int/ip-outreach/en/ipday/archive.html|title=World IP Day Archives|publisher=WIPO|access-date=30 April 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150208045754/http://www.wipo.int/ip-outreach/en/ipday/archive.html|archive-date=8 February 2015|url-status=dead}}
• [http://www.out-law.com/page-6869 Heroes and villains of World Intellectual Property Day] on Out-Law.com

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Category:April observances

Category:Intellectual property law

Category:United Nations days

Category:Recurring events established in 2000

Category:World Intellectual Property Organization