This report introduces the work of the Academy, highlights the achievements in 2017 and shines a light on some of the Academy’s achievements in the past 20 years.

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) provide an ambitious roadmap for human progress. This brochure explains how WIPO’s work supports the SDGs by enabling innovation for the economic, social and cultural development of all countries.

Developments and Directions in Intellectual Property Law celebrates the 20th anniversary of award-winning intellectual property (IP) blog, The IPKat, originally founded in 2003. Over the past two decades, The IPKat has covered and commented on several of the most topical developments in the IP field from substantive, practical, and policy standpoints. Today, The IPKat is considered the “Most Popular Intellectual Property Law Blawg” of all time (source: Justia) and its readers are academics, members of the judiciary, policy and law-makers, practitioners, and students from all over the world. By bringing together several of the current and past contributors to The IPKat, this book reflects on the developments and directions that have emerged in the IP field over the past twenty years. Topics covered include changes within substantive IP rights, as well as IP law, policy, and practice broadly intended and from a global perspective. From copyright to trade marks, patents to designs, image and publicity rights to geographical indications, and developments in IP practice and the court system to contract drafting, readers of this book will find expert insights into some of the most notable developments in IP since the inception of The IPKat blog.

The Global Innovation Index provides detailed metrics about the innovation performance of 127 countries and economies around the world. Its 81 indicators explore a broad vision of innovation, including political environment, education, infrastructure and business sophistication. This year’s report reviews the state of innovation in agriculture and food systems across sectors and geographies. Chapters of the report provide more details on this year’s theme from academic, business, and particular country perspectives from leading experts and decision makers.

The Global Innovation Index 2020 provides detailed metrics about the innovation performance of 131 countries and economies around the world. Its 80 indicators explore a broad vision of innovation, including political environment, education, infrastructure and business sophistication. The 2020 edition sheds light on the state of innovation financing by investigating the evolution of financing mechanisms for entrepreneurs and other innovators, and by pointing to progress and remaining challenges – including in the context of the economic slowdown induced by the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) crisis.

This book deals with IP issues from a business perspective, focuses in particular on Small and Medium sized Enterprises (SMEs). The topics covered in the 12 modules include the importance of IP for SMEs, trademarks and industrial designs, inventions and patents, trade secrets, copyright and related rights, patent information, technology licensing, IP in the digital economy, IP and international trade, IP audit, IP Valuation, and Trademark licensing.

Although the law on infringement is relatively straightforward in relation to the copying of literal and textual elements of software, it is the copying of non-literal and functional elements that poses complex and topical questions in the context of intellectual property (IP) protection. In many cases, it is these non-literal and functional elements that contain the real value of a software product. This book concerns the copying of non-literal and functional elements of software in both the United States and European Union, using a holistic approach to address the most topical questions facing experts concerned with legal protection of software products across a range of technological platforms. The book focuses on six distinct but interrelated areas: contract, copyright, patents, trade-dress, designs and trade secrets, discussing these areas separately and in relation to one another. The book discusses software as a multilayered functional product, setting the scene for other legal discussions by highlighting software's unique characteristics. It examines models for the provision of software, addressing licensing patterns and overall enforceability, as well as the statutory and judicial tools for regulating the use of such licences. It assesses the protection of non-literal and functional software elements under EU and US laws, focusing on internal architecture, interfaces, behavioural elements and GUIs.

With a long history and deep connection to the Earth’s resources, indigenous peoples have an intimate understanding and ability to observe the impacts linked to climate change. Traditional ecological knowledge and tribal experience play a key role in developing future scientific solutions for adaptation to the impacts. The book explores climate-related issues for indigenous communities in the United States, including loss of traditional knowledge, forests and ecosystems, food security and traditional foods, as well as water, Arctic sea ice loss, permafrost thaw and relocation. The book also highlights how tribal communities and programs are responding to the changing environments. Fifty authors from tribal communities, academia, government agencies and NGOs contributed to the book. Previously published in Climatic Change, Volume 120, Issue 3, 2013.