reportofthedirectorgeneraltothe2010.docVIP

REPORT OF THE DIRECTOR GENERAL TO THE 2010 WIPO ASSEMBLIES September 2010 In this Report to the 2010 Assemblies of the Member States of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), I would like to profile some of the achievements of the Organization over the last twelve months. This is not intended to be a comprehensive progress report. For that, I would refer you to the Program Performance Report. Rather, it seeks to give a sense of the range and diversity of WIPO’s activities, and to highlight some of the results achieved this year. Managing through the economic crisis With some 90 percent of WIPO’s budget directly dependent on income generated from market-driven services, the global economic downturn was expected to hit WIPO harder than most of the other international organizations in Geneva. In 2009, international patent filings under the PCT fell by 4.5% compared to 2008, and international trademark registrations under the Madrid System by 16.4%, resulting in a decrease in the Organization’s revenue for the first time in our history. Rigorous financial management was necessary, thanks to which, despite the downturn, the Organization finished the 20082009 biennium with a modest surplus. 2010 has seen the beginnings of recovery. At this stage, we are expecting that PCT filings will rise by around 2.8% – a positive result, but one which would keep filings below the level that they reached in 2008. We expect Madrid registrations to rise by around 11%, bringing them nearer to the level of 2008. The much smaller Hague System is in a different position as it is still very much in the process of expanding its membership and user base. Consequently, the level of filings under the Hague System is rising significantly, with 2010 figures up by 36 percent to date on last year (still on a rather small base). The WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center is likewise experiencing its highest ever rates of use. However, it is the PCT on which WIPO