The 61st series of meetings of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Assemblies will take place in Geneva from September 21 to 25, 2020. For the first time, the meeting was held in a hybrid format.
The key outcomes of the meeting are as follows:
The Paris Union Assembly adopted guidance related to the right of priority during an emer-gency, like the current COVID-19 pandemic.
The Madrid and Hague Union Assemblies adopted amendments to their respective Common Regulations making an e-mail address a required indication for the systems’ users. This amendment aims at ensuring communication when the postal services are disrupted.
The Beijing Treaty Assembly met for the first time since the entry into force of the Beijing Treaty on Audiovisual Performances on April 28, 2020, when the 30th contracting party joined the Treaty. The Assembly adopted its rules of procedure and celebrated the entry into force of this historic agreement giving economic and moral rights to audiovisual performers in works like films, television programs, and videos. The 33 States are current parties to the Beijing Treaty.
Since the current agenda had been considerably reduced, the Member States decided to convene an extraordinary session of the WIPO Assemblies during the first half of 2021.
These were the last Assemblies meetings for Mr. Francis Gurry as WIPO Director-General. His second and final term as head of the Organization ends on September 30. The delegates thanked Mr. Gurry for his contribution to the development of the Organization, and the IP system as a whole, during his 35 years of service in different capacities. Mr. Gurry will be succeeded by Mr. Daren Tang (Singapore) on October 1, 2020.
