By Sachin Kandhari

In addition to being Administrative Professionals’ Day, April 26, 2017 also is celebrated as World Intellectual Property Day. World IP Day was launched in the year 2000 by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) to promote and protect creative ideas, including inventions as well as music, art, writings, and trademarks. This year’s theme revolves around innovations that improve human lives. Read more on the WIPO website.

The term “Intellectual Property” refers to laws that provide limited exclusive rights to inventors and artists who disclose and register their inventions and creative works in exchange for these rights. These laws provide incentives for the inventors and artists, with the intent to encourage innovation. In the United States, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is the federal agency for granting U.S. patents and registering trademarks. In doing this, the USPTO enforces the laws that are established by Congress in fulfillment of its mandate, as set forth in Article I, Section 8, Clause 8, of the U.S. Constitution to “promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective Writings and Discoveries.” Over the last few years, IP laws around the world have moved toward harmonization, with the common goal of allowing patent applications to be efficiently filed and examined in various countries under the same or similar standards.

Today, and generally throughout springtime, various IP-related events will be held all over the world in recognition of World IP Day. For example, in the U.S., the USPTO and the Senate Hart Office Building in Washington DC each hosts a World IP day celebration. Yesterday, on Capitol Hill, the Senate Judiciary Committee heard testimony regarding the role IP plays as a driver of innovation in making the U.S. healthier, safer, and more productive. Additional events are scheduled at Rob Roy’s Innovation Center in Las Vegas, NV (May 12), Westwood Country Club in Austin, TX (May 3), and the Innovation Crawl during Philly Tech Week in Philadelphia, PA (April 28), and many more. Worldwide events can be found by visiting http://www.wipo.int/ip-outreach/en/ipday/2017/map.html.

Meanwhile, today at Jones Robb, we carry out our ongoing advocacy to assist our clients in the protection of their innovations, while also sharing some barbeque to thank our wonderful support staff in celebration of Administrative Professionals’ Day.