Among the many United Nations agencies, there is one that actually delivers practical value to U.S. businesses. The World Intellectual Property Organization in Geneva is a one-stop shop for filing patents, saving companies from having to register in multiple countries. The system takes in over 250,000 patent applications every year, including more than 50,000 from U.S. inventors, more than any other country. Critically, all applications have to be kept secret until they are published 18 months later.
So the U.S. has a strong interest in a well-run WIPO. The trouble is, the agency covers its own budget through user fees; it doesn’t need contributions from the member countries. That might sound like a good thing, but it makes oversight harder. There is no board of directors, and the director general enjoys absolute authority. This has led to scandals over the past 10 years, from secret shipments of high-end computer equipment to North Korea and Iran, to opening satellite offices in Russia and China without permission. One member of Congress, Brad Sherman of California, compared it to the corrupt leadership of world soccer, calling WIPO “the FIFA of UN agencies.”
read more ^ (Bloomberg)
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China hits back at US efforts to ‘block’ WIPO candidate
A Chinese ambassador has returned fire against the US’ “attack” on China’s bid to lead the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).
Chen Xu, China's ambassador in Geneva, allegedly claimed that the US was turning the election into a “political game”, according to The New York Times.
“The US has no candidate of its own, yet it tries every means to block Wang Binyang and even takes this venture at its top diplomatic agenda," Chen told reporters at a news conference.
read more ^ (world is review)
So the U.S. has a strong interest in a well-run WIPO. The trouble is, the agency covers its own budget through user fees; it doesn’t need contributions from the member countries. That might sound like a good thing, but it makes oversight harder. There is no board of directors, and the director general enjoys absolute authority. This has led to scandals over the past 10 years, from secret shipments of high-end computer equipment to North Korea and Iran, to opening satellite offices in Russia and China without permission. One member of Congress, Brad Sherman of California, compared it to the corrupt leadership of world soccer, calling WIPO “the FIFA of UN agencies.”
read more ^ (Bloomberg)
——-
China hits back at US efforts to ‘block’ WIPO candidate
A Chinese ambassador has returned fire against the US’ “attack” on China’s bid to lead the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).
Chen Xu, China's ambassador in Geneva, allegedly claimed that the US was turning the election into a “political game”, according to The New York Times.
“The US has no candidate of its own, yet it tries every means to block Wang Binyang and even takes this venture at its top diplomatic agenda," Chen told reporters at a news conference.
read more ^ (world is review)
