The Year in Review - Director General's Report to the WIPO Assemblies 2012 (October 1, 2012)
It has been a very good year for the Organization. The highlights include: the maintenance of a sound and healthy financial condition of the organization; the successful conclusion of a new multilateral treaty, the Beijing Treaty on Audiovisual Performances; expanding participation in, and strong demand for, the services of the Organization’s global IP systems; increasing maturity and scope of the Organization’s global technology and brand databases; an increasingly strategic focus in the delivery of capacity building and other development services; a new presence for the Organization in social media; further progress in management reform and the imminent successful conclusion of the Strategic Realignment Program; and the advancement of our construction projects.
Address by the Director General to the 2012 WIPO Assemblies (October 1, 2012)
The 12 months since the last meeting of the Assemblies have been a good year for the Organization. For a start, the financial condition of the Organization remains sound despite a challenging external environment. The use of the Organization’s Global Systems reached record levels in 2011. Although the rate of increase is more modest in the first half of 2012, demand continues to be such that we are largely meeting our budget estimates. This provisional result is a strong one considering the fragility of the world economy and the uncertainty and lack of confidence that prevails in relation to it.
Report of the Director General to the 2011 WIPO Assemblies (September 26, 2011)
The last year has seen demand within the Organization’s global systems return to pre-crisis levels and start to advance beyond them. Despite the summer turbulence in financial markets and the uneven nature of the recovery, we believe that this growth will continue in the new biennium of 2012-2013, where our projections indicate that the income of the Organization should rise by 4.7%
Address by the Director General to the 2011 WIPO Assemblies (September 26, 2011)
In 2011, demand for our services in these systems has returned to pre-crisis levels and started to advance beyond them. International applications under the PCT, the Madrid System and the Hague System have increased by 9.58%, 7.4% and 21.5%, respectively.
Report of the Director General to the 2010 WIPO Assemblies (September 20, 2010)
2010 has seen the beginnings of recovery. At this stage, we are expecting that PCT filings will rise by around 2.8% – a positive result, but one which would keep filings below the level that they reached in 2008. We expect Madrid registrations to rise by around 11%, bringing them nearer to the level of 2008.
Address by the Director General to the 2010 WIPO Assemblies (September 20, 2010) Video
Innovation and its many benefits do not come without the investment of time, effort and human and financial resources. Intellectual property provides the incentive for that investment. Innovation is rarely a simple process. Recognition of the complexity of the journey from idea to commercial reality has led to a broadening of the understanding of what constitutes innovation.
Report of the Director General to the 2009 WIPO Assemblies (September 22, 2009) Video
Internally, we have embarked upon a process of organizational renewal under the Strategic Realignment Program. The most fundamental dimension of this process relates to the corporate culture of the Secretariat, where we are striving to develop an orientation of service and effectiveness.
Acceptance speech by Francis Gurry on his appointment as Director General (September 22, 2008) Video
The process leading to your decision this morning has been a long, at times tense and always interesting one. The successful conclusion of that process owes much to two persons whom I should like to acknowledge at the outset.
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