BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 17. Head of Azerbaijan's Intellectual Property Agency Kamran Imanov was elected Chairperson of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Copyright Treaty Assembly, represented by 118 member states in the election of officials of the WIPO Assemblies today, Trend reports.
The 66th session of the Assemblies of the Member States of the WIPO was held in Geneva on July 8-17.
During the meetings held today, a number of organizational issues were reviewed.
Following informal consultations in the Coordination Committee and the Executive Committee of the Paris and Berne Unions, 40 countries were elected as permanent members of the Executive Committee of the Berne Union. Among the countries elected as permanent members was Azerbaijan.
Azerbaijan joined the Paris Convention, WIPO’s largest international agreement on intellectual property protection, in 1995, and the Berne Convention in 1998.
The country has also been elected as one of the 83 countries selected as permanent members of WIPO's Coordination Committee, one of its most important governing bodies, for the period until the closing of the next session of the General Assembly to be held in 2027.
Azerbaijan was also elected as a member of the Program and Budget Committee. As of now, the number of countries represented in this committee is 53. The committee plays an important role in the United Nations’ financial oversight. Specifically, it examines resource requirements, reviews budget forecasts, and prepares recommendations on financial and administrative policies.
Azerbaijan has been a member of the WIPO Copyright Treaty since 2005.
Thus, Azerbaijan is represented in three major committees of the World Intellectual Property Organization, one of the largest UN bodies, and currently chairs one of its most important assemblies.
In 2018, a representative of Azerbaijan was elected Vice-Chair of the WIPO Copyright Treaty Assembly, and in 2019–2020 and 2023, chaired the Assembly of the Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works, and in 2021–2022, chaired the Assembly of the Copyright Treaty.
Azerbaijan’s representation in WIPO committees is, above all, an expression of respect and appreciation for the Azerbaijani state, which consistently supports the development of this field, and for the economic and institutional reforms successfully carried out by President Ilham Aliyev.
During the 66th session of the Assemblies of WIPO Member States, Kamran Imanov, Chairman of the Board of the Intellectual Property Agency, who joined the event online, delivered a speech highlighting the achievements of Azerbaijan in the field of intellectual property. He noted that intellectual property has been prioritized alongside creative entrepreneurship, investments, and competitive markets in our country as a driver of innovation. Special attention is being paid to the creation of “smart villages” and “smart cities” in the liberated territories of Azerbaijan.
Imanov also provided information on the creation of open registries for inventions, utility models, industrial designs, trademarks, and geographical indications; the implementation of 3D formats; patent analytics; reduction in the examination period for application documents; significant growth in invention and patent activity compared to previous years; and other innovations.
Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel