April 26 is World Intellectual Property Day, marking the date when the World Intellectual Property Organization Convention came into force in 1970. World IP Day was established in 2000 by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), a self-funding agency of the United Nations whose “mission is to lead the development of a balanced and effective international intellectual property (IP) system that enables innovation and creativity for the benefit of all.” World IP Day offers an opportunity each year to join with others around the globe to celebrate innovation and creativity and how IP fosters and encourages them.
The theme for this year, as announced by WIPO, is “Powering Change: Women in Innovation and Creativity,” chosen to celebrate “the brilliance, ingenuity, curiosity and courage of the women who are driving change in our world and shaping our common future. . . . The time is ripe to reflect on ways to ensure that increasing numbers of women and girls across the globe engage in innovation and creativity, and why this is so important.”
WIPO’s World IP Day site includes a global map of World IP Day activities, video interviews with women powering change, and articles about IP and women, such as “Innovation, creativity and the gender gap.”
Join the conversation using #worldipday and tell WIPO about the female inventors and creators who are powering change near you!
