WIPO Reviews New IP Legislation
In advance of discussions in the Egyptian People’s Assembly of a new draft comprehensive intellectual property legislation, a group of Egyptian parliamentarians visited WIPO and met with WIPO Director General Dr. Kamil Idris.
The visit to WIPO provided an opportunity for the parliamentarians to review comments made by WIPO on the draft legislation.
Discussions highlighted the need for countries such as Egypt to invest in the building of a robust intellectual property system. Dr. Idris said that such a system would help developing countries secure a competitive edge in the knowledge-based economies of the 21st century.
The Director General stressed the critical role of parliamentarians in ensuring that the proper legislative framework is in cooperation with WIPO. The Organization has since sponsored fellows from Arabic-speaking countries for the special one-year program.
Many officials from intellectual property offices in the region have also been trained in Egypt. Dr. Idris also underlined the opportunities that exist for Egypt to exploit digital technologies to disseminate its rich cultural heritage, through, for example, making museum collections available on the Internet.
The Director General expressed WIPO’s readiness to extend its assistance in such efforts.