Thursday, October 10, 2013

Challenge to the World International Property Office

Big business fights small countries that are infringing on their intellectual property.

The United Nations IPR arm, World Intellectual Property Office (WIPO) says there is a need to balance social benefit.
The World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO), a United Nations body, has pointed out the need for a second interpretation of global intellectual property law, one that balances social benefit with the need to protect investment.
This balancing could help reconcile the differences between developing nations such as India, and the concerns of multi-national companies and developed nations, according to Francis Gurry, Director-General of the WIPO.
“I think there are two definitions of intellectual property. One has been defined by the need to innovate, and, therefore, the need to protect investment. The second way is that it should not solely be about protecting the interests of investment, but instead should be about balancing social benefit with the whole mix...”
In the midst of these debates, where does the UN IPR organization stand on big business stealing the copyright of small people and small business?

Everywhere around the world, prosecution and litigation of IPR law violations is beset by lack of probabilities for winning a case against infringement if one is not as big as Apple, Mitsubishi, Microsoft or any other private enterprise giant.

Furthermore, to fight an opponent that infringed your ownership rights to your intellectual property alone will take an agonizing climb onto the peak of a mountain that could endanger your life if the enemy has scaled the height ahead and will merely push you to your death with the pointing of a finger at your forehead.

There is a need for policy regime change around the world particularly in making judiciary and prosecution systems more supportive of the victims of IPR infringements.

This should be the real challenge of the UN's WIPO now and in the future, knowing as it fully well does that the problem has been a pestering thorn that needs to be removed as soon as possible. If the problem persists even with the UN knowing, then the WIPO is a useless white elephant and cannot truly justify its existence.

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