WIPO

Development Tools
and Services
WIPO Development Tools and Services 1

Adopted in 2007 by the WIPO General Assembly, the Development

Agenda recommendations aim to enhance the development dimension
of the Organization’s activities. WIPO is mainstreaming these
recommendations throughout its programs and activities. This brochure
describes the specific development tools and services WIPO provides
which respond to the recommendations and reflect over 30 years of
WIPO’s practice and experience in development assistance. They will
continue to be improved and adapted to Member States’ needs.

Developing IP Strategies
Certain WIPO tools and services focus specifically on helping Member
States to develop national intellectual property (IP) strategies. These
are:

• National IP Strategy Methodology – a series of practical tools,

including a methodology handbook with practical templates and a
baseline survey, and a handbook on benchmarking indicators
• Product Branding Strategy for Business Development – supports
farmers and producers from developing countries and least
developed countries (LDCs) in using IP and branding to add value
to their products, increase export income and improve the living
conditions of local communities, through product benchmarking
studies, capacity‑building workshops for local communities, design
of appropriate IP and branding strategies
• Modernizing IP Offices – technical advice and guidance in
preparing IP office automation strategic plans, benchmarking
existing systems, gap analysis, needs assessment, project scoping
and planning, project and implementation costs, and simplification
of IP office business procedures
WIPO Development Tools and Services 2

Providing Legislative and Policy Advice

Upon Member State request, WIPO provides tailored advice on
the design of laws on patents, trademarks, industrial designs
and geographical indications (GIs), as well as on provisions on IP
enforcement, taking into account specific country needs and situations.
Assistance provided to developing countries, LDCs and countries in
transition includes:

• Advice/assistance in the preparation of laws/provisions

• Comments on draft national laws/provisions
• Advisory missions to discuss IP-related legislative issues with
policymakers
• Specific advice on policy issues, on compliance with international
treaty obligations or with negotiated bilateral or regional
agreements, on the use of multilateral flexibilities in the country’s
interest, or on national/regional strategies aimed at building respect
for IP

In relation to traditional knowledge (TK), traditional cultural expressions

(TCEs) and genetic resources (GRs), WIPO offers:

• A Background Brief summarizing the legal, policy and operational

issues in developing a national strategy for protecting these assets
• An online database of national and regional laws, regulations and
model laws related to TK, TCEs and GRs
WIPO Development Tools and Services 3

Meeting Training Needs

Upon Member State request, WIPO organizes training programs,
workshops and seminars on:

• Patents and patent-related issues

• Trademarks, industrial designs, GIs
• The PCT, Madrid, Hague and Lisbon systems and operations
under those systems
• Copyright and related rights issues (specialized courses on
emerging or topical issues and advanced training)
• Administration of WIPO business modernization products and
services (to enhance knowledge transfer among IP offices, build
their institutional capacity and promote collaboration)
• Building respect for IP

Training targeted for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)

includes:

• Programs for national and regional SME-support institutions

• Training of trainers on effective IP asset management
• Seminars on appropriate IP policies

WIPO also offers capacity-building programs for decision-makers,

scientists, researchers, technology managers, inventors, business
persons and attorneys on:

• Patent drafting
• Successful technology licensing
• IP valuation
• IP policies and technology transfer procedures for universities and
research and development (R&D) institutions
WIPO Development Tools and Services 4

IP Education Opportunities
The WIPO Academy provides educational services to enhance IP
knowledge in order to promote the use of IP for development.

Professional Development Program

• Courses on industrial property and copyright at the intermediate
and advanced levels
• Specialized courses in IP for specific audiences, in cooperation
with partner institutions
• Courses in industrial property for senior officials from R&D
institutions and technology transfer centers from developing
countries, LDCs and countries in transition
• Courses for collective management organizations (CMOs)
• A WIPO-WTO advanced course on IP for government officials

Distance Learning Program

This program offers:

• Primer on IP and General Course on IP

• Primer on the PCT
• Advanced specialized courses on copyright and related rights
management, IP and electronic commerce, the WIPO Arbitration
and Mediation Rules, patents, patent information search, basic
patent drafting, IP management (including in the publishing
industry), trademarks, GIs, industrial designs, and IP and
biotechnology
• Joint Specialization in IP, certificate given by WIPO and the
University of South Africa

See www.wipo.int/academy/en/courses/distance_learning/index.html
for the language availability of the above courses.
WIPO Development Tools and Services 5

Academic Institutions Program

• Master of Laws in Intellectual Property offered through:
— University of Turin, Italy (international program)
— Africa University, Mutare, Zimbabwe (regional program)
— Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia
(regional program)
— University of Yaoundé II, Cameroon (regional program)
— Seoul National University, Republic of Korea (international
program)
— Austral University, Buenos Aires, Argentina (regional program,
as of March 2013)
• Intensive Summer Course on Intellectual Property and Business
Entrepreneurship, University of Haifa, Israel
• WIPO-WTO Colloquium for Teachers of Intellectual Property,
Geneva

Executive Education Program

• Designed for IP managers, executives, entrepreneurs, technical
executives, managers of legal departments and other stakeholders
from developing countries, LDCs and countries in transition

WIPO Summer School Program

• Offered annually in different countries for students and young
professionals, with an interdisciplinary and problem‑solving
approach
WIPO Development Tools and Services 6

Managing and Sharing IP Information

WIPO provides tools, services, standards and platforms that can help
IP institutions to work more efficiently, collaborate more effectively and
provide high‑quality services to stakeholders and users.

• Access to Research for Development and Innovation (ARDI),

in partnership with prominent science and technology publishers
– access to over 17,000 peer-reviewed scientific and technical
journals, books and databases
• Access to Specialized Patent Information (ASPI), in cooperation
with major commercial patent database vendors – access to
commercial patent databases with sophisticated tools for retrieving
and analyzing patent data

• Technology and Innovation Support Centers (TISCs) – support

in setting up TISCs, which provide local R&D communities with
expert assistance in finding technological information (including
through ASPI)
• WIPO Patent Information Service – state-of-the-art search reports
for particular well-defined technologies (usually in support of R&D
activity)
• Patent Landscape Reports – a comprehensive analysis of
innovation and patenting activity in a specific technological field,
including in areas of particular interest to developing countries and
LDCs, such as public health, food security and agriculture, climate
change and the environment (including information on technology
trends, major players, geographical distribution of patent rights and
collaboration trends)

• Industrial Property Administration System (IPAS) – a flexible,

integrated system for automated processing of patents (including
utility models or petty patents), trademarks and industrial designs,
which includes software products and training free of charge
• Centralized Access to Search and Examination (WIPO CASE) –
platform for sharing information on search and examination reports
among participating IP offices (facilitates work sharing programs)
WIPO Development Tools and Services 7

• WIPOScan – a tool for business process and back‑file digitization

workflow that manages the indexation, quality control and
formatting of IP documents
• WIPO Electronic Document Management System (EDMS) – a
tool that enables fully paperless processing by IP offices through
secure, reliable storage of electronic copies of documents
• Digital Access Service (DAS) – online system allowing priority
documents and other similar documents to be securely exchanged
between IP offices

Finding Technologies and Partners

WIPO offers IP platforms to help members of specific stakeholder
groups connect with each other. Three new platforms are:

WIPO GREEN – a tool that connects various critical partners with

WIPO in order to:
• Facilitate policy dialogue and networking
• Enable owners of proprietary technologies to make selected
technologies and solutions available as packages, including
know‑how, services and materials
• Facilitate matching of needs with technology providers
• Provide additional services, including links to training, consulting,
dispute resolution and financial support

WIPO Re:Search
• Provides access to IP for pharmaceutical compounds,
technologies and know‑how and to data available for R&D in the
area of neglected tropical diseases, e.g., malaria and tuberculosis
• Provides a searchable public database of available IP assets and
resources
• Facilitates new partnerships to support organizations that conduct
research on treatments
WIPO Development Tools and Services 8

IP Development Matchmaking Database (IP-DMD) – an online tool

for matching specific IP-related development needs, through which:
• Developing countries, LDCs and countries in transition formulate
development needs
• Potential donors offer resources
• WIPO assesses ideas and matches them with appropriate partners

Sharing Development Information

Several WIPO databases offer information on development and
technical assistance needs.

• Intellectual Property Technical Assistance Database (IP‑TAD)

– contains information on WIPO’s technical assistance activities
where one or more of the beneficiaries is a developing country,
LDC or country in transition
• Roster of Consultants (ROC) database – provides information on
consultants engaged by the Organization to do specific technical
assistance activities (at the national level) in developing countries,
LDCs and countries in transition

WIPO’s Resource Mobilization program also supports developing

countries in mobilizing resources and partnerships for IP for
development, including identifying potential funding sources.

Dispute Resolution Assistance

The WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center provides:

• Advice to country code Top-Level Domain (ccTLD) administrators,

in particular from developing countries, in establishing registration
conditions and dispute resolution procedures
• Information resources for registering ccTLD domain names or filing
a dispute in relation to these domain names
WIPO Development Tools and Services 9

Managing Creators’ Rights

WIPO services dedicated to copyright and related rights include the
following guides, software, databases and other tools:

• WIPO Guide on Surveying the Economic Contribution of the

Copyright-Based Industries – provides a methodology that
countries can use to measure the contribution of this sector in
economic terms (WIPO can assist countries in preparing national
studies using the methodology)
• Tool for Creators – a series of practical guides for creators on how
to manage copyright in the creative industries (including music,
filmmaking and distribution, advertising, and book publishing)

• WIPOCOS – a modular, interoperable software product for CMOs

that enables transparent and autonomous royalty distribution
(Offered free of charge and with free support, it currently focuses
on musical works)
• WIPO support to stakeholder dialogues for facilitating the
distribution of creative content – a service delivered through
the Open Intergovernmental Organization License (OIGO), which
defines licensing options for sharing materials
• The Trusted Intermediary Global Accessible Resources (TIGAR)
service – provides persons with print disabilities with cross-border
access to copyright-protected literary works, in an agreed format
and through the support of “trusted intermediaries”
• Gestión de Derecho de Autor (GDA) – a tool that helps copyright
offices improve the efficiency of copyright registration and manage
automated processing of copyright registration data

• The Tag of Excellence – a new, voluntary international quality

assurance standard for CMOs, to help them achieve optimum
performance levels on the basis of outstanding norms and best
practices vis-à-vis right holders and users (available as of the
second half of 2013)
WIPO Development Tools and Services 10

• Diploma in Copyright Management offered through a leading US

university (as of September 2013)
• The online Copyright Management Database – offers a
range of materials such as lectures, articles, dissertations,
tariffs, jurisprudence and commentaries relating to copyright
management, as well as essential information on CMOs (available
in 2013)

Protecting Cultural and Intellectual Heritage

In its work in relation to TK, TCEs and GRs, WIPO offers
capacity‑building resources and supports the participation of
indigenous communities in the Intergovernmental Committee on
Intellectual Property and Genetic Resources, Traditional Knowledge
and Folklore (the IGC). Tools and services include:

• A Voluntary Fund – facilitates the participation of representatives

of accredited indigenous and local communities in the work of the
IGC
• An Indigenous IP Law Fellowship program – offers a temporary
fellowship in WIPO for an indigenous person with legal and policy
expertise

Guidance on IP issues related to TK, TCEs and GRs includes:

• An online database of contractual practices in biodiversity‑related
access and benefit-sharing agreements in relation to GRs
• IP Guidelines for Access and Equitable Benefit-Sharing in relation
to GRs
• A study on the requirements in patent law systems to disclose
information about GRs and TK relevant to patented inventions
• A Traditional Knowledge Documentation Toolkit, which provides
practical guidance on IP management in the community‑led
documentation of TK and GRs
• Background Briefs, a booklet and other publications and
materials on TK, TCEs and GRs, including regular e-mail news for
subscribers
WIPO Development Tools and Services 11

The Creative Heritage Project offers:

• A Cultural Documentation and IP Management Training
Program, which provides technical assistance for indigenous and
local communities in documenting cultural heritage and guidance
in managing related IP interests
• A Guide for museums, libraries, archives and other cultural
institutions, with information on managing IP rights and interests
relating to TCEs
• A Guide on IP management and arts festivals, with guidance
on using copyright and related rights, as well as certification and
collective marks in arts festivals
• A background brief on IP management and traditional
handicrafts, with practical, often community-based solutions
for using the IP system for effective recognition, protection,
management, marketing and commercialization of cultural and
economic assets such as handicrafts

Tools for Countries in Transition

The following guides and studies are geared towards countries in
transition that seek to further improve their use of IP for economic
development:

• IP Strategy Guide for Countries in Transition – guidance in

preparing and adopting national IP strategies
• Management of Academic Intellectual Property and Early Stage
Innovation – guiding principles for research institutes covering IP
protection, knowledge transfer, research collaboration and contract
research
• Technology Transfer in Countries in Transition – a comprehensive
examination and analysis of technology transfer processes and
their adaptation in these countries, with recommendations for
innovation promotion
• Model Intellectual Property Policy for Universities and Research
Institutions – assists universities and academic institutions in
creating their own IP infrastructure and policies
WIPO Development Tools and Services 12

• Study on Special Features of the Copyright System – focuses

on copyright administration by IP offices in countries in transition,
implementation of the WIPO Internet Treaties, copyright ownership
and transfer, copyright contracts and collective management
• Nation Branding in Countries in Transition – promotes the use of
trademarks and GIs in developing a strong, distinctive brand image
for national products and services, including creation of a nation
brand
• IP Teaching in Countries in Transition – identifies the special
needs of countries in transition with respect to IP training and
education and helps to define training goals and objectives as well
as develop a core IP curriculum
• Enforcement of IP Rights in Countries in Transition – assists
law enforcement agencies, the judiciary, the private sector
and consumers in countries in transition in developing and
implementing effective enforcement strategies

Communicating About IP
WIPO offers many tools for communicating about IP, and provides
services that help to optimize this communication. These are:

IP awareness raising:
• Program for raising public awareness about IP through national
outreach strategies and campaigns and practical workshops,
including a Guide on planning and implementing outreach
campaigns
• Customized regional training workshops to increase awareness
about IP among journalists
• WIPO Awards program, with medals awarded for outstanding
inventors, creators and innovative enterprises around the world
• World IP Day, celebrated each year on April 26 – an opportunity
for IP offices and others to discuss IP and show how it fosters
creativity and innovation (promotional materials and an IP Day
Facebook page also available)
WIPO Development Tools and Services 13

Online tools:
• WIPO’s YouTube Channel – features short stories on successful
use of the IP system by inventors and creators, mainly in
developing countries
• IP Advantage database – contains case studies describing the IP
experiences of inventors, creators, entrepreneurs and researchers,
with insights into how IP works in the real world and how its
successful use can contribute to development
• Outreach in Practice database – offers basic information on and
links to interesting IP outreach initiatives around the world
• Outreach Research database – contains studies on the awareness,
attitudes and behavior of various audiences in relation to IP

WIPO Publications and Library:

• WIPO Library, with over 35,000 references – offers paper and
online library services including access to journal subscriptions and
databases of current IP literature
• Depository Library program – provides a full set of all WIPO
publications, upon Member State request
• General information publications – covering many aspects of IP,
targeting various groups of stakeholders
• Educational publications for children and schools – aimed at
raising awareness among young people about the value of IP
For more information contact
WIPO at www.wipo.int

World Intellectual Property Organization

34, chemin des Colombettes
P.O. Box 18
CH-1211 Geneva 20
Switzerland

Telephone :
+4122 338 91 11
Fax :
+4122 733 54 28

WIPO Publication No. 1015E ISBN 978-92-805-2295-2