The database itself, like WIPO’s earlier creations such as WIPO Lex, promises to be a fully searchable user-friendly free one-stop gateway to a huge collection of case study material that is available on WIPO’s website. These cases collectively provide a demonstration as to the way in which IP is dealt with in the real world and how IP rights can be used to foster and promote innovation in nations developing and developed. The case studies have been presented in a standardized format designed to provide one an inkling as to the various steps involved in the innovation cycle itself, viz. innovation, IP protection, exploitation of innovation and resultant further innovation and so on and so forth. The overall scenario includes a wide range of topics, including branding, financing, partnerships and research and development from many corners of the world (at present, there are more than 100 case studies covering the jurisdictions of as many as 48 different countries, with more and more new studies being added regularly). On another welcome note, some of the case studies included also highlight the ways in which the IP system can facilitate coming up with solutions to global concerns such as climate change, food security and public health etc.
The database has an intuitive interface that allows for searches to be made according to type of IP, the object of protection and the focus area of the case study etc. It’s a part of the initial returns out of the WIPO Development Agenda projects that had been consented to by member states in the later half of 2009. The funding for the database and the idea itself have originated from the Japanese government, with French and Spanish versions of it under development at present.
Further inquiries regarding the database can be made at the Media Relations Section at WIPO [Tel: (+41 22) – 338 81 61 or 338 95 47, fax: (+41 22) – 338 82 80]
Recently the WIPO has created some great databases that are quite useful not only for the purposes of patent litigation, but also for shaping one’s own IP strategy. Though some have questioned the utility of the WIPO’s new portals — because few inhabitants of least-developed nations have internet access — I think this initiative is laudable.