Today marks World Intellectual Property Day
World Intellectual Property Day is observed annually on 26 April.
The event was established by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) in 2000 to "raise awareness of how patents, copyright, trademarks and designs impact on daily life" and "to celebrate creativity, and the contribution made by creators and innovators to the development of societies across the globe."
April 26th was chosen as the date for World Intellectual Property Day because it coincides with the date on which the Convention Establishing the World Intellectual Property Organization entered into force in 1970.
On 9 August 1999, the Chinese delegation to the WIPO proposed the adoption of the World Intellectual Property Day. In October 1999, the General Assembly of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) approved the idea of declaring a particular day as a World Intellectual Property Day.
Since then, Word Intellectual Property Day has offered a unique opportunity each year to join with others around the globe to discuss and demonstrate how Intellectual Property works to contribute to the flourishing of music and the arts and to driving the technological innovation that helps shape our world.
The theme for this year’s World Intellectual Property Day is Creativity: The Next Generation.