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WIPO Magazine, Issue 4/2021 (December)
The WIPO Magazine explores intellectual property, creativity and innovation in action across the world.
Publication year: 2021
Global Challenges in Focus
Progress in hydrogen fuel cell technology development and deployment in China
Hydrogen is high on the political and innovation agendas of many countries, research institutions and companies. It is an energy medium with great potential for contributing to a transition towards carbon-neutral energy, however, hydrogen sources are dominated by fossil fuels, and the technical and economic challenges remain considerable. This report provides an overview of current hydrogen and fuel cell technology trends internationally, and with a specific focus on developments and implementation in China.
Publication year: 2022
International Patent Classification (IPC)
An effective and easy-to-use system to classify and search patent documents
WIPO IP Facts and Figures 2021
An overview of intellectual property activity based on the latest available year of complete statistics.
From Paper to Platform: Publishing, Intellectual Property and the Digital Revolution
Supporting the development of a national book and reading culture through local professional writers and publishers requires an understanding of the way this sector of the creative economy works and how it is affected by the digital revolution. This publication is intended to help policymakers, particularly those in countries that are interested in promoting local publishing, to understand the publishing industry better and to understand how copyright and other policies affect the way books are being created, published and consumed.
Direction of innovation in developing countries and its driving forces
Economic Research Working Paper No. 69
Innovation is a major driving force of long-term economic growth and sustainable development. Direction of innovation matters because technical change is not neutral and hence bears significant social, economic and environmental development implications. This paper contributes to the literature through a systematic examination of the direction of innovation in developing and emerging economies and its driving forces. It shows that innovation in the global South exhibits a vibrant and diverse landscape when we do not confine ourselves with traditional research and innovation indicators. While emerging economies are accelerating their pace in inventive activities in fields such as ICTs, biotech and engineering, low-income countries (LICs) are also found to be active in learning-based, incremental “under-the-radar innovations” (URIs). These URIs that are introduced through international technology transfer and indigenous innovative efforts. Indigenous sources of URIs play a primary role in LICs, contributed by localised learning-by-doing, close interaction with customers and embeddedness in regional production networks and clusters. However, insufficient role of the state, a low science and technology intensity and a lack of university-industry linkage limit the potential of URIs. International technology transfer is another important driver of technical change in developing countries. However, its strengthen varies across countries due to differences in host country policy, absorptive capacity, and the type of foreign economic engagement that they have as well as the inappropriateness of transferred foreign technologies mostly from Global North. Given the status of direction of innovation and its driving forces in developing countries, this report argues that the unfolding 4th industrial revolution poses both challenges and opportunities to LICs. Policy implications are discussed.
Calculating private and social returns to COVID-19 vaccine innovation
Economic Research Working Paper No. 68
What is the return to COVID-19 vaccine innovation? This paper seeks to quantify both private and social returns, using available data on commercialized vaccines and certain assumptions about the pandemic's epidemiological path as well as the economic costs of containment measures. The calculations reveal high returns to innovation. In the baseline scenario, the social benefit of vaccine innovation amounts to 70.5 trillion United States (U.S.) dollars globally, exceeding its private benefit by a factor of 887. The calculations bear on the private and public incentives to invest in vaccine innovation.
World Intellectual Property Report 2022: The Direction of Innovation
What is the direction of innovation? As the world looks to rebuild from the pandemic, innovation has a crucial role to play in opening up new growth possibilities and creating much needed solutions to the common challenges we face. Decisions on innovation may be complex, but, as this report highlights, it is vital that they are understood.
Guide to the International Patent Classification (2022)
This Guide provides information on the objectives, history and reform of the International Patent Classification (IPC) as well as assistance in the use of the IPC.
Guide to WIPO's services for country code top-level domain registries
This guide presents country code top-level domain (ccTLD) registry operators and national authorities with information on how to resolve third-party domain name disputes in a cost- and time-saving manner. It explains the main policy design features of a successful Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) system, and provides information on the WIPO-created Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy (UDRP), including the possibility to tailor the UDRP for specific ccTLD requirements.