*EPF310 04/09/2003
Text: World Intellectual Property Org. Postpones Beijing Meeting
(WIPO director general cites "prevailing circumstances") (370)

The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) has decided to postpone a summit meeting scheduled for April 24-26 in Beijing.

In an April 9 news release, WIPO Director General Kamil Idris said that the postponement was due to "prevailing circumstances" and that new dates for the Summit on Intellectual Property and the Knowledge Economy would be announced in due course.

Following is the text of the news release:

(begin text)

World Intellectual Property Organization
Geneva, April 9, 2003
Member States Informed of Change in Dates of Beijing Summit

The Director General of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), Dr. Kamil Idris, informed member states on Wednesday that the WIPO Summit on Intellectual Property and the Knowledge Economy, and the accompanying Industry and Private Sector Forum in Beijing, will not take place as scheduled from April 24 to 26, 2003.

Dr. Idris told representatives of member states that "WIPO greatly regrets that this important meeting cannot be held as scheduled owing to prevailing circumstances." He said that new dates and other relevant information regarding this event will be communicated in due course.

The Summit will address the key role of the intellectual property system in stimulating creativity and innovation to drive economic growth through wealth creation and business development. It will bring together heads of government and other top officials, industry leaders, academics, civil society, and other interested parties to talk about the increasing importance of intellectual property in today's knowledge-driven economies.

Today, a state does not have to be "lucky" --- in terms of its possession of land, labor and capital --- to succeed. Creativity and innovation are the new drivers of the world economy and national well-being increasingly depends on the strategy a country develops to harness its intellectual capital. An effective intellectual property system is the foundation of such a strategy. Within knowledge-based, innovation-driven economies, the intellectual property system is a dynamic tool for wealth creation --- providing an incentive for enterprises and individuals to create and innovate; a fertile setting for the development of, and trade in, intellectual assets; and a stable environment for domestic and foreign investment.

(end text)

(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)

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