WIPO Course

The world of Industrial and Intellectual Property

The third edition of the WIPO Summer School, that is part of the Carlos Fernández Novoa on Innovation and Industrial Property Chair activities, counted on the cooperation of the Spanish Patent and Trademark Office (SPTO) and the Spanish School of Industrial Organization (EOI, by its Spanish acronym). The course was held between July the 1st and the 12th at the EOI headquarters in Madrid and the opening ceremony was attended by some SPTO, EOI and WIPO representatives.

Once again, the origin and background of the students were varied, the twenty-three pupils came from eight different countries (Argentina, Colombia, Chile, Spain, Guatemala, Italy, Dominican Republic and Uruguay) and among them there were young professionals and students of various disciplines such as Law and Experimental Sciences. As it happened previous years, the course was also attended by members of the Spanish Security Forces and Bodies and the Customs Surveillance Service.

The course was structured in sections according to topics and included morning and afternoon sessions. Among the Industrial and Intellectual Property aspects analysed during the lessons, we would like to point out: Copyright and related rights, Patents and Innovation, Trademarks, other Intellectual Property Rights, IP as a commercial asset, current global challenges in the field of IP, and IP observance. Various professionals on this field, such as public employees of the WIPO, the SPTO and the Spanish Ministry of Culture, stated these subjects by means of a series of talks. Moreover, some representatives of companies that make use of the Industrial Property and brands skilled on IP services took part in the course. In addition to the talks, there were question-and-answer sessions and debates that allowed the attendees to express their doubts and worries.

We would like to underline that, as a novelty regarding previous editions, the course 2019 included a visit to the SPTO headquarters, that lasted a whole working day. There, the students could share a day with Patent and Design examiners, Trademark examiners, lawyers from the SPTO Appeal Unity and other public employees of the Patents and Technology Information Department, the Distinctive Signs Department and the Legal Coordination and International Relations Department.

The closing ceremony took place on July 12th at the EOI headquarters and counted on the presence of various authorities, such as the SPTO Director, the WIPO Academy Executive Manager and the EOI General Director.