World Intellectual Property Day – April 26, 2023

Women and IP: Accelerating Innovation and Creativity

In 2023, we celebrate the “can do” attitude of women inventors, creators, and entrepreneurs worldwide and their ground-breaking work. Every year, WIPO declares a new theme for World Intellectual Property Day to inspire women creators, entrepreneurs, and inventors. The theme for the 2023 celebration of World Intellectual Property Day is “Women and IP: Accelerating Innovation and Creativity,” emphasizing the crucial role of women in propelling innovation and creativity forward.

Women in all regions are shaping the world through imagination, ingenuity, and hard work. However, they often face significant challenges in accessing the knowledge, skills, resources, and support they need to thrive.

World Intellectual Property Day is celebrated annually on April 26th to promote awareness and understanding of intellectual property rights. The event was established by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) in 2000 to highlight the role that intellectual property (IP) plays in encouraging innovation and creativity.

Each year, WIPO chooses a theme for World Intellectual Property Day to focus on a particular aspect of intellectual property. The themes often address current issues and challenges related to IP and its impact on society and the economy.

The goal of World Intellectual Property Day is to raise awareness of the importance of IP and its contribution to innovation and economic growth. It also serves as an opportunity to recognize the valuable role that inventors, creators, and innovators play in society and to encourage respect for their intellectual property rights.

There are several types of intellectual property (IP) that are recognized and protected under the law. The most common types of IP are:

1. Patents: Patents are granted for inventions that are new, useful, and non-obvious. They provide the owner with the exclusive right to make, use, and sell the invention for a certain period of time, usually 20 years from the date of filing.
2. Trademarks: Trademarks are words, symbols, or designs that are used to identify and distinguish the goods or services of one party from those of others. They provide the owner with the exclusive right to use the mark in connection with their goods or services.
3. Copyrights: Copyrights protect original works of authorship, such as literary, artistic, and musical works, as well as software and other digital content. They give the owner the exclusive right to reproduce, distribute, and display the work for a certain period of time, usually the life of the author plus 70 years.
4. Trade secrets: Trade secrets are confidential information that is valuable to a business, such as customer lists, formulas, and manufacturing processes. They provide the owner with the exclusive right to use the information and to prevent others from using or disclosing it.
5. Industrial designs: Industrial designs protect the visual appearance of a product, such as its shape, configuration, pattern, or ornamentation. They provide the owner with the exclusive right to use the design for a certain period of time, usually 10-15 years from the date of filing.

World Intellectual Property Day is celebrated to raise awareness and promote understanding of intellectual property (IP) rights and their importance in promoting innovation and creativity. It provides an opportunity to recognize the contributions of inventors, creators, and innovators to society and the economy, and to encourage respect for their IP rights.

Intellectual property refers to the legal rights that protect creations of the mind, such as inventions, artistic works, and literary works. These rights help to encourage innovation and creativity by giving creators and inventors the ability to control and benefit from their ideas and creations.

World Intellectual Property Day aims to promote the value of intellectual property and highlight the importance of protecting it from infringement and misuse. It also provides a platform to discuss current issues and challenges related to IP and explore ways to strengthen the IP system to better serve society and the global economy.