WIPO launches pro bono patent programme
The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) has launched a global programme aimed at helping inventors in developing countries to file patents for their inventions.
The “first-of-its kind” programme, in cooperation with the World Economic Forum, will see patent attorneys provide pro bono help.
Following a successful pilot effort in Colombia, the Philippines and Morocco, the Inventor Assistance Program was officially launched yesterday, October 17.
In a statement, WIPO said that the programme aims “to help inventors and small enterprises with limited finances to pursue the patent protection that is key to successful commercialisation of a product or new solution”.
Francis Gurry, WIPO director general, said that the programme is a “pioneering effort” to help inventors access the intellectual property system.
He added: “WIPO is dedicated to ensuring that everyone can benefit from intellectual property, in developed and developing countries alike. This new programme is helping, and I hope it expands rapidly.”
The pilot programme, which was launched between April 2015 and March 2016, has already helped a dozen inventors in Colombia, Morocco and the Philippines file patent applications for technologies they invented.
According to WIPO, these inventions include a wheel-mounted device that helps vehicles gain traction on slippery ground and a machine that transforms vegetable refuse into animal feed in a novel manner.
WIPR also reported that the UK Intellectual Property Office (IPO) has launched a scheme offering free legal advice and support to intellectual property owners locked in legal disputes.
