Meeting between the Head of Rospatent and the Director General of WIPO

On July 8, 2023, on the sidelines of the 64^th Series of Meetings of the Assemblies of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Member States, the Head of Rospatent Mr. Yury Zubov had a meeting with the WIPO Director General Mr. Daren Tang.

The meeting was mainly focused on the unacceptability of any politicization of the IP field by Western countries. The Russian delegation condemned the aggressive rhetoric and the calls for action against not only the Russian Federation but also the Organization together with its external offices. Mr. Zubov also warned the WIPO officials about the attempts to block the Organization’s Program of Work and Budget, as well as discriminatory practices used in some jurisdictions.

"We hope that the Secretariat will take a more proactive position related to the depoliticization of IP, including regarding the WIPO Russia Office as an integral part of the Organization" – said the Head of Rospatent.

In his turn, Mr. Daren Tang restated that Russia remains a full Member State of WIPO and all its international registration systems. Furthermore, he reaffirmed the Secretariat’s commitment to the principle of neutrality and reassured the Russian delegation of the WIPO’s readiness to provide all possible assistance in solving pressing issues.

The parties also underlined successful cooperation in the course of Russia’s accession to the Lisbon System of international registration of appellations of origin and geographical indications, promotion of multilingualism, and other key initiatives of the Russian Federation.