E-Business

WIPO Discusses Multilateralism in Increasingly Complex IP Ecosystem

Published

9 years ago

October 4, 2016

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Francis Gurry, director general, World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) reported excellent results in the Organization’s global intellectual property services and finances over the past year and urged member states to move forward with negotiations on the proposed Design Law Treaty.

Speaking to representatives of WIPO’s 189 member states at the opening of the annual WIPO Assemblies, Gurry also discussed the future challenges facing the Organization with respect to the inherent complexities of intellectual property and multilateralism “in this new landscape of multi-speed and multi-layered complexity.”

Reporting on the last year, Gurry said the Organization’s global IP systems – the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT), the Madrid System for marks and the Hague System for designs “all performed well.”

The international design system, he said, is undergoing the most rapid growth (+40.6%) due to recent accessions of several major economies, and this was expected to continue. Geographical expansion of the Madrid and Hague systems would be a priority in the coming year.

Gurry also welcomed the September 30 entry into force of the Marrakesh Treaty to Facilitate Access to Published Works for Persons who are Blind, Visually Impaired or Otherwise Print Disabled and significant progress with the Accessible Books Consortium (ABC) that supports the practical implementation of the Marrakesh Treaty.

He said the ABC has so far facilitated the loans of accessible books to 100,000 visually impaired people through its 19 participating libraries in 16 countries and currently contains 319,000 titles in more than 76 languages.

By being able to download 5,500 electronic books into their collections, participating libraries were able to save USD 11 million in production costs (for a book read aloud by a person).

Other positive results over the past year included expansion of WIPO’s global databases and IT platforms, growing demand for WIPO’s capacity-building programs, and worldwide recognition of the Global Innovation Index which is jointly produced by WIPO.

Gurry also pointed to challenges in advancing the Organization’s normative agenda, including a proposed international treaty on design law formalities, and the long-running negotiations on broadcasting.

On the proposed design law treaty, the Director General said member states were close to reaching agreed positions, noting there was “only isolated resistance” on two unresolved issues. “I very much hope that the member states will be able to bridge the remaining difference in this meeting and decide to convene the diplomatic conference in 2017,” Mr. Gurry said.

Gurry also referred to long-standing work relating to a proposed broadcasting treaty. “While some further progress has been made in the past year in the technical understanding of the issues and in defining a way forward, the time has come…for member states to decide in a definitive manner what they wish to do with this item. I hope that the coming year will see such resolution demonstrated on the part of the member states,” he said.

In concluding his remarks, Gurry said the biggest challenge faced by the Organization is “complexity” given the role of intellectual property in a world where value increasingly resides in intellectual assets and in which technology and innovation are developing at accelerative speeds.

“This development is raising fundamental questions about the fitness of old categories to new phenomena, which we see reported on an almost daily basis in many areas ranging from the creative industries to the life sciences,” Gurry said.

Member states are developing at different speeds and are therefore legitimately striving to see how intellectual property is relevant to their challenges, he pointed out.

Gurry also highlighted “institutional complexity” where economies seek to advance their interests. “In consequence, we have seen the emergence of very active agendas in IP at the national, bilateral, plurilateral, regional and multilateral levels. In an age of globalization, all these agendas affect each other,” he observed.

The WIPO Assemblies are being chaired by Ambassador Jānis Kārkliņš, who is also the Permanent Representative of the Mission of Latvia to the United Nations and other International Organizations in Geneva.

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E-Business

NITDA Takes Over National Digital Architecture System

Published

2 days ago

March 28, 2026

Ebere Melum-Nwogbo

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Nigeria has taken a major step toward strengthening its digital governance framework as the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) officially assumes control of the Nigeria Government Enterprise Architecture (NGEA) infrastructure.

The handover ceremony held in Abuja, marks the culmination of a high-level partnership with the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA).

This transition signals a shift from fragmented IT projects to a unified, disciplined approach to national digital investment.

The NGEA initiative forms a core part of the e-Government Masterplan 2.0 (Ne-GMP 2.0), aimed at establishing a unified and structured approach to managing government IT investments and digital resources.

The framework is designed to ensure that technology deployment across public institutions aligns with national priorities while improving efficiency and accountability.

With the system now operational, government agencies are expected to adopt more integrated digital processes, allowing seamless data sharing and interoperability.

This is anticipated to reduce duplication, strengthen risk management, and translate policy objectives into measurable digital outcomes.

Over the past two and a half years, Nigerian technical experts worked closely with their Korean counterparts to develop the architecture framework, create reference models, and execute pilot programmes in key institutions.

These include the National Identity Management Commission, Nigeria Customs Service, Nigeria Immigration Service, and NITDA.

Officials say the NGEA represents a shift from fragmented digital efforts to a more coordinated, citizen-focused system.

The infrastructure is hosted by Galaxy Backbone Limited, providing a secure and reliable platform for nationwide deployment.

Looking ahead, NITDA is expected to work with government stakeholders to expand and sustain the system, while the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy will provide policy guidance to ensure its adoption across the country.

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E-Business

FG Shifting Focus to “Meaningful Connectivity” to Drive Inclusion – Minister

Published

2 days ago

March 28, 2026

Ebere Melum-Nwogbo

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Bosun Tijani, minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, has said the government is shifting focus from expanding access to ensuring “meaningful connectivity” that drives economic growth and inclusion.

FG Shifting Focus to “Meaningful Connectivity” to Drive Inclusion - Minister

Bosun Tijani, minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy

The minister made the statement on Friday while addressing stakeholders at the inauguration of board members of the Universal Service Provision Fund (USPF) in Abuja.

He said that although Nigeria had made significant progress since the introduction of GSM services, millions of people, particularly in rural and underserved communities, remain either unconnected or unable to fully benefit from digital services.

Dr Tijani highlighted ongoing investments in digital infrastructure, including plans to deploy 90,000 kilometres of fibre optic network and nearly 4,000 telecom towers nationwide.

He said initiatives under the USPF had improved access through projects such as rural connectivity and digital facilities in schools but stressed that the next phase must prioritise effective usage.

“It is not enough to connect a community. We must ensure that schools can teach with digital tools and that small businesses can access market opportunities,” he said, citing a pilot project in the Kura community where connectivity has enhanced access to communication, education and healthcare.

Aminu Maida, executive vice chairman, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) also called for a shift towards meaningful connectivity, noting that while data usage had grown significantly, it remained concentrated in urban areas.

According to him, recent data shows that telecom usage has increased by about 160% over the past two years, largely driven by urban demand.

“When we drill down, we see that a lot of that growth is actually in urban centres. So, the gap between those who are not connected or not meaningfully connected is growing,” he said.

Dr Maida added that the trend underscored the need for the USPF board to intensify efforts to bridge both access and usage gaps across the country.

Both officials emphasised the importance of collaboration, sustainable investment models and improved digital literacy to ensure that connectivity translates into real economic benefits for Nigerians.

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E-Business

Jury Finds Meta, Google Liable for Woman’s Social Media Addiction

Published

3 days ago

March 27, 2026

Ebere Melum-Nwogbo

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A jury in Los Angeles has found technology companies, Meta and Google liable for contributing to a young woman’s social media addiction, in a case being described as a landmark ruling.

The 20-year-old woman, identified only as Kaley, argued that she became addicted to Google’s YouTube and Meta’s Instagram from an early age due to their attention-driven design features.

According to her testimony, she began using YouTube at the age of six after downloading the app on her iPod Touch to watch videos about lip gloss and online games.

Kaley told the court that she joined Instagram at nine, bypassing parental restrictions put in place by her mother, and spent extended periods on social media.

The trial, which lasted about a month, with arguments and evidence from both sides.

Jurors also heard testimony from Mark Zuckerberg, chief executive, Meta and Adam Mosseri, Instagram head.

However, Neal Mohan, YouTube chief executive, did not testify.

The jury found that the companies were negligent in the design of their platforms and failed to adequately warn users about potential harms. Meta and Google were ordered to pay the woman $3 million in damages.

Jurors also recommended additional punitive damages, including $900,000 against YouTube and $2.1 million against Meta, according to company spokespersons.

The jury apportioned 70 per cent of the responsibility to Meta and 30 per cent to YouTube.

Kaley was present in the courtroom when the verdict was delivered, alongside parents of other teenagers who say they were harmed by social media use. Both companies said they plan to appeal the decision.

“We respectfully disagree with the verdict and will appeal. Teen mental health is profoundly complex and cannot be linked to a single app. We will continue to defend ourselves vigorously as every case is different, and we remain confident in our record of protecting teens online”, a Meta spokesperson said.

José Castañeda, Google spokesperson, said the case misunderstands YouTube, which is a responsibly built streaming platform, not a social media site.

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