People around the world celebrate the World Intellectual Property Day every year on 26 April. The event was established by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) in 2000 to “raise awareness of how patents, copyright, trademarks and designs impact on daily life” and “to celebrate creativity, and the contribution made by creators and innovators to the development of societies across the globe”. 26 April was chosen as the date for World Intellectual Property Day because it coincides with the date on which the Convention Establishing the World Intellectual Property Organization entered into force in 1970.
This year’s topic is Get up, stand up. For music. Here is what Director General of WIPO Francis Gurry says:
Director General Francis Gurry
Source: WIPO
Thanks to digital technology and the Internet, we now have access to more music than ever before. The Internet has created a global marketplace and global stage for music. That is a wonderful thing for music lovers all over the world.
We need to ensure that we do not lose sight of creators and performers in the new digital economy. Is their role given sufficient value in these new systems? This is an essential question. It is essential for a vibrant culture that creators, composers, songwriters and performers are able to enjoy a decent economic existence through deriving economic value from their music. Without them, we don’t have music.
Enormous artistic, personal, social and economic effort goes into the creation and the performance of music. We must find a way of ensuring its sustainability in the economy. My message for World Intellectual Property Day is – do not take music for granted; value it.
Today is a day to “get up, stand up, for music” – to ensure that our musicians get a fair deal, and that we value their creativity and their unique contribution to our lives.
