The race is on!

Press release 2008PR/2008/535 informs the IPKat that fifteen candidatures for the post of Director General of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) were received by 5 p.m. (Geneva time) on 13 February 2008, the deadline fixed for the submission of names. The press release continues:

"The WIPO Coordination Committee, which is composed of 83 member states, will meet on May 13 and 14, 2008 to nominate a candidate for appointment to this position by the WIPO General Assembly, which is scheduled from September 22 to 30, 2008.

The candidates are (in alphabetical order of names of candidates): Mrs. Alicia Adamczak (Poland), Mr. Toufik Ali (Bangladesh), Mr. Jorge Amigo (Mexico), Mr. José Graça Aranha (Brazil), Mr. Gjorgji Filipov (The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia), Mr. Francis Gurry (Australia), Mr. Masood Khan (Pakistan), Mr. Enrique A. Manalo (Philippines), Mr. Mauro Masi (Italy), Mr. James Otieno Odek (Kenya), Mr. Philippe Petit (France), Mr. Bojan Pretnar (Slovenia), Mr. Boris Simonov (Russian Federation), Mr. Yoshiyuki Takagi (Japan), and Mr. José Delmer Urbizo (Honduras).

The process of selecting a Director General is governed by the Convention Establishing the World Intellectual Property Organization and “The Procedures for the Nomination and Appointment of Directors General of WIPO,” adopted by the General Assembly of WIPO in September 1998".

For once, the IPKat will refrain from making any comments, since he would not like his undoubted influence to perturb the result. He can however say that the three candidates who are personally known to him seem decent enough souls and he hopes the others are too.

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