This Study is aimed at assisting governments in creating an environment in which Intellectual Property enables innovators and creators to lever the economic value of their work, at enhancing the economic success of the country to the benefit of its businesses, researchers, creators, and society as a whole and at strengthening economic competitiveness.

This Study is aimed at assisting governments in creating an environment in which Intellectual Property enables innovators and creators to lever the economic value of their work, at enhancing the economic success of the country to the benefit of its businesses, researchers, creators, and society as a whole and at strengthening economic competitiveness.

This Study was developed, following the request from Members States, in order to support the use of intellectual property for national economic growth.

The series of papers in this publication were commissioned from renowned international economists from all regions. They review the existing empirical literature on six selected themes relating to the economics of intellectual property, identify the key research questions, point out research gaps and explore possible avenues for future research.

This report examines the importance of intellectual property (IP), ranging from patents, copyright, design and trade marks, and whether in the age of globalization, digitization and increasing economic specialization it still creates incentives for innovation, without unduly limiting access to consumers and stifling further innovation. The report does recommend a radical overhaul of the system, with the review concentrating on three areas, and setting out the following recommendations: (i) strengthening enforcement of IP rights, whether through clamping down on piracy or trade in counterfeit goods; (ii) reducing costs of registering and litigating IP rights for businesses large and small; (iii) improving the balance and flexibility of IP rights to allow individuals, businesses and institutions to use content in ways consistent with the digital age.

This Guide provides general information about intellectual property (IP) and cultural interests. It identifies the main IP challenges faced by festival organizers and outlines some practical elements of an effective IP management strategy, following a step-by-step approach.

This study has emerged from an ongoing program of trilateral cooperation between WHO, WTO and WIPO. It responds to an increasing demand, particularly in developing countries, for strengthened capacity for informed policy-making in areas of intersection between health, trade and IP, focusing on access to and innovation of medicines and other medical technologies.