Talal Abu-Ghazaleh, President of the Arab Society for the Protection of Intellectual Property (ASPIP), called for turning IP concepts into an economic and social development incentive during the second annual meeting of the Industry Advisory Commission (IAC), which took place at the WIPO headquarters in Geneva.
IAC comprises 16 members who represent organizations, bodies, professional associations and individuals concerned with IP. Abu-Ghazaleh, who represented the Arab profession, previously represented the Arab Region in the founding meeting of the commission.
Participants included the CEO of Silicon Graphics, Glaxo Welcome, the American Bar Association, the Chinese Patent Office, the ET Index, and ASPIP.
The commission provides counseling on behalf of the private sector and IP profession to WIPO in order to facilitate matters for decision-makers and country representatives.
IAC stressed the importance of the IP system as a means to develop economic growth, as well as the importance of speeding up the development of the protection system in e-trade and the Internet. Likewise, it recommended studying the means of reducing the costs of patent registration and developing relations between international IP institutions and the media and communication sectors.
At the end of the meeting, the IAC asked Abu-Ghazaleh to submit a paper for the next meeting suggesting the renewal of the IP message, objectives, rules and role in serving the community and economy, not as a system for the protection of personal interests but as an essential, useful and objective-oriented system.
Abu-Ghazaleh informed the IAC that he will submit the said proposal to ASPIP's Board during the meeting to be held in Beirut, Lebanon, in mid-November 1999.