Show latest news, more from November 2002.
WIPO meets with IP Wales
Officials of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) last week met with members of the IP Wales team – the United Kingdom’s first custom-made intellectual property business support initiative – to exchange ideas and explore areas for future co-operation, particularly in the area of small and medium enterprises (SMEs). According to IP Wales research, SMEs make up 70% of employment in Wales, and, in 2000, accounted for all but 263 of the 144,147 firms established nationwide. WIPO believes that despite the importance of SMEs to national economies, many have not fully exploited the value of IP or its potential in securing business development. The organisation therefore established the SMEs program, which aims to promote better awareness and wider use of the IP system among the sector worldwide, with a view to enhancing competitiveness in the marketplace. Andrew Beale, Director of IP Wales, said that the overwhelming response by the SME community underlined the genuine need to ensure that this highly productive sector is able to leverage business development through better use of intellectual property assets. The organisation has already signed up 1,150 firms, a total which far exceeds its initial target of 850 by December 2004. At the meeting, WIPO and IP Wales considered possibilities for further co-operation, including the possibility of organising a joint forum for IP Offices of OECD countries to exchange information on their outreach activities to SMEs. Further information regarding IP Wales is available online at: www.ipwales.com
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