PRA Celebrates World IP Day, Launches Coalition Letter with 101 Partners
Apr 23, 2021
Property Rights Alliance, in partnership with 101 think tanks and advocacy associations in 47 countries, has announced the release of its annual coalition letter celebrating World Intellectual Property Day. The letter is addressed to the World Intellectual Property Organization’s Director General Daren Tang and highlights WIPO’s 2021 theme: “IP & SMEs: Taking Your Ideas to Market.”
“No business is too small to benefit from IP; research shows that start-ups with patents experience 55% higher employment growth and 80% higher sales growth five years later,” stated the letter. “WTO member governments must ensure adequate and effective IP protections consistent with their multilateral and regional commitments.”
In the backdrop of World IP Day several countries are lobbying at the WTO to waive IP rights on vital tools used to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. The letter warns: “The TRIPS agreement is the most comprehensive multilateral agreement on IP and the most effective instrument for ensuring that governments take steps to protect IP. It would be a grave mistake to waive the minimum protections secured by TRIPS.”
Property Rights Alliance is hosting a webinar event on Monday, April 26th at 11:00am EDT to present the coalition letter as well as present the newly published 2021 Trademark and Patent Index. The event will feature remarks from Andrei Iancu, former U.S. Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
Grover Norquist, President of Americans for Tax Reform, and Philippe Baechtold, Senior Director of the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) Services Department at the WIPO, will provide welcome remarks, and Executive Director of Property Rights Alliance Lorenzo Montanari will moderate the event. Philip Thompson, IP and Trade Policy Analyst for PRA, will present the 2021 World IP Day letter. Professor Walter Park of American University and Chrysa Kazakou of PRA will then present the Trademark and Patent Index.
The event will also featured presentations by:
- Seth Hays, Chief Representative for Asia-Pacific at the International Trademark Association (Asia’s SME Needs)
- Professor María Vazquez, Director of the Law Department at the University of San Andres (Argentina)
- Martin van Staden, Free Market Foundation (South Africa)
On the release of the coalition letter, PRA Executive Director Lorenzo Montanari stated, “We stand with intellectual property rights because we support innovation, creativity and a free-market economy. Today more than ever, international organizations and governments across the world need to promote policies that recognize IP rights as a key contributor to innovation and defeating COVID-19. Strong IP keeps us safe.”
View the webinar and download 2021 IP day letter and presentation below
2021 IP Day Letter |
 |
Watch the webinar |
|
Presentation: Prof. Walter Park (American University) & Chrysa Kazokou (PRA), co-authors of the 2021 Trademark and Patent Index |
 |
Download the International Trademark and Patent Index |
 |
Presentation: Seth Hays, Chief Representative for Asia-Pacific at INTA |
 |