World IP Day 2020 Advocates "Innovate for a Green Future”

World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) has recently announced "Innovate for a Green Future” as the theme of the World Intellectual Property (IP) Day for year 2020. World IP Day is observed annually on 26 April, a date designated by WIPO in 2000 to address the perceived gap between IP as a business/legal concept and its relevance to people’s lives. The date coincides the same date in 1970 that saw the entry into force of the Convention Establishing the WIPO.

 

As the press release for this year's event says, "Carving a pathway to a green future is a modern-day imperative… We have the collective wisdom, ingenuity and creativity to come up with new, more effective ways to shape a low-carbon future. … The campaign also celebrates the many inspiring inventors and creators around the world who are betting on a green future – the women, men and young people who are working on cleaner alternatives to legacy fossil-fuel-based technologies and better and more sustainable food and natural resource management systems, and who are using the IP system to support their work and its uptake and use in society."

 

In celebration of the event, there will be activities focusing on the theme on or around that day to engage the public, business, and academic institutions around the globe, in the form of conferences, seminars, exhibitions, workshops, IP awards, public performances, social media promotions, or release of IP-related studies and statistical data.