World IP Day 2024: A Global Celebration of IP, Innovation and Creativity!

World Intellectual Property Day is commemorated every 26 April. Millions of people worldwide celebrate the essential role of IP rights in fostering creativity and innovation to drive human progress.

The date was designated in 2000 by the World Intellectual Property Organization’s member states, coinciding with the day the WIPO Convention came into force (April 26, 1970), with the aim to increase awareness and understanding of IP.

This year's theme is ‘IP and the SDGs: building our common future with innovation and creativity’.

The 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are the core of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015. The SDGs are an urgent call for action by all countries in a global partnership to bring peace and prosperity to people and the planet, now and in the years to come.

IP is a powerful tool for human progress in addressing global challenges. It plays a vital role in achieving the SDGs, which aim to improve livelihoods and safeguard our planet for everyone's benefit.

WIPO released an interactive platform which includes videos generated using AI technology to showcase how innovation and IP can help achieve SDGs (e.g., no poverty; zero hunger; gender equality; good health and well-being; quality education; peace, justice and strong institutions; sustainable cities and communities; reduced inequalities; climate action; clean water and sanitation; affordable and clean energy).

Likewise, the recently published WIPO report ‘Mapping Innovations: Patents and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals’ provides relevant insights into IP's impact on achieving the SDGs and overarching trends in sustainable innovation.

The report revealed that SDG 9 Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure has the highest number of patents (with 2.9m active patent families), followed by SDG 13 Climate Action. It was also highlighted that there is an emergent interest in SDG 1 No Poverty, SDG 04 Quality Education, SDG 6 Clean Water and Sanitation, SDG 14 Life Below Water, and SDG 15 Life on Land.

WIPO also recently announced the winners of the World IP Day 2024 Youth Video Competition, in which more than 100 entries were submitted by participants from 70 countries. This year’s theme is ‘With IP, we can dream of a better future, turn our ideas into reality and create a world where everyone thrives to achieve the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)’. The winners are from Nigeria, Brazil, Bulgaria, and Indonesia.

The World IP Day Changemakers’ Gallery is also available. It features innovators and creators who showcase how they use IP rights to support achieving the SDGs.

Lastly, WIPO is offering more materials on World IP Day, such as a Global Events Calendar and the WIPO Magazine Special edition IP and the SDGs.

Happy (belated) World IP Day to our readers! Comment below what did you do to celebrate it! 😉

First image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay.

The second image is from the WIPO report ‘Mapping Innovations: Patents and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals’.

The third image, by WIPO, is based on patent data from PatentSight, January 2024.