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This Wiki space is provided and administrated by the WIPO IP Office Business Division (IPOBSD). It contains up-to-date information about IP Office Suite and related modules and information resources for the benefit of Industrial Property Offices (IPOs).

The information is categorised to serve various user groups including management, examiners, IT professionals as well as the general public. The overview section presents high-level introductory information about the products and their functions along with the cooperation framework under which the products can be deployed and used by the member states. The rest of the Wiki space contains substantial information and resources for the use, deployment and administration of products which is available for registered users. The Wiki further maintains a restricted section for WIPO staff to administrate the work in progress related to the products.

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If you are a representative of an IPO you are welcome to register to access the detailed sections of the wiki by clicking here (Accessing restricted pages). 


The WIPO IP Office Suite is a group of software applications that IP Offices can use to support the processing of applications for IP rights by establishing an e-registry, controlling workflow processes and business rules, and providing online services to local and international users.  The overall objective is to deliver operational efficiencies and improve quality of service.

The WIPO IP Office Suite, or parts of it, is currently in operation in more than 80 IP offices in all regions of the world.  For more than 15 years, WIPO has been offering this service to IP offices of developing countries as part of the technical assistance program.

The suite is made up of three complementary systems: WIPO File, WIPO IPAS and WIPO Publish, supported by a Central Services component that provides for efficient and reliable data exchange to interconnect IP offices with global IP systems and data.  




WIPO IPAS

WIPO Publish

WIPO File

WIPO Central Services

The WIPO IP Office Suite is developed and owned by WIPO and is offered to IP offices of WIPO member states free of charge as part of WIPO’s technical assistance services.  Before starting a project, WIPO and the IP Office (or responsible Ministry) sign a cooperation agreement that sets out the shared responsibility for implementation, terms and conditions for the use of WIPO software systems, confidentiality and other provisions.

Projects are organized according to a shared responsibility model, with the aim of assisting IP offices to increase their capacities as much as possible using WIPO software solutions and to create projects with long-term sustainability.

Projects are initiated based on a request by the IP office concerned. This is followed by an assessment of the needs, capabilities and suitability of WIPO software solutions for the IP offices. If both parties agree to initiate the project, a project plan is created to clarify the roles and responsibilities, resource requirements and expected outcomes.  The assessment process covers the critical pre-requisites for the project to succeed, as described below:



  • Financial: availability of capital and operating budget to start and maintain the project. Capital investment may be required up front for IT infrastructure and equipment while operating expenses are typically required for upgrades, spare parts…etc.
     
  • Legislation: IP laws and regulations should be in place and minimum functioning IPO organization with respective staff should be present.  For online services, an appropriate legislative framework needs to be in place (electronic communications law, or similar).
     
  • Information Technologies: depending on the project and systems to be deployed, the appropriate hardware, networking, security and physical infrastructure need to be in place. The need for good internet connectivity has become now a priority so that offices can provide online services and engage in remote support and training activities.
     
  • Human Resources: Local IT personnel for the day-to-day support of systems and infrastructure. WIPO has a profile of skills needed for local administrators who should basically have knowledge of IT and network administration activities.
     
  • Stability: stable management and low turn-over of staff and local IT resources are important for project continuity.
     
  • Cooperation with WIPO:  The conclusion of the cooperation agreement prior to commencing the project. 

WIPO will continue to develop the WIPO IP Office Suite to keep up with the demands of IP offices and with modern technologies. 

Some planned improvements include:

  • Better integration with global IP systems (PCT, Madrid and Hague) to allow automated and online exchange of data and notifications.

  • Improved support for substantive examination of patents, trademarks and designs by incorporating new technologies such as advanced search techniques and image recognition.
  • More open and more configurable design, to allow IP offices to more easily implement their own functionality or interface with other systems.
  • Improvements to support and maintenance processes, to incorporate new features more quickly and to provide better service levels to IP offices.
  • Options for cloud hosting, especially for offices with limited local IT infrastructure.

Advantages of WIPO Solutions

IP offices have a choice when implementing business solutions for the automation of internal processes and provision of online services.  There are a small number of private companies offering software that is explicitly designed for IP operations (only two vendors have successfully marketed solutions to more than one IP office).  IP offices may also use their own IT resources and/or local IT providers to develop their own solutions.  These options have advantages and disadvantages compared to the WIPO solution, as described below.

Deployment Time and Features

WIPO brings more than 15 years of cumulative experiences working on projects with more than 80 IP offices.  Offices will find most of the functionality they require for administering IP registration process in the WIPO solutions and with the considerable customization options available, the system will be ready for operational use in a relatively short time (subject to its readiness as outlined above). 

Software developed in house typically requires substantial time and effort to build from scratch or using and customizing commercial platforms. 

Flexibility

Thanks to its graphical process design, the software is fully customizable to cope with various needs of member states ranging from small offices with simple process to medium sized offices with much complex procedures.  Changes to legislation or administrative processes can be quickly introduced to the systems with little effort and often no programming.  This brings greater flexibility of the WIPO software compared to the in-house or commercial alternatives which tend to address the smaller number of IP offices they target and generally will require service provider intervention for changes on the software to address functional or procedural need.   Such flexibility will further enable member states to have more control over the solution and eventually take ownership of the system with less and less dependencies on WIPO or on service providers for their administration.

Risk

As the WIPO software is offered under the mandate of the organization and its technical assistance program approved by the member states themselves, the risk of discontinuity of the software and/or its support to offices is minimal.  In comparison, in-house developed or commercial alternatives largely depend on the availability of development resources and/or availability of funds to renew or amend the contract with suppliers for changes and support.

Cost

WIPO software is offered free of charge to member states, although there are costs associated with purchasing IT infrastructure and engaging resources to implement parts of the project.  The commercial alternatives typically imply substantial cost to the client while those developed in house will require cost to cover development resources whether done by local or external resources.


Support

Support from WIPO is limited by available resources which must be shared by all IP offices using the solutions.  Response times and service level agreements are provided on a “best efforts” basis, without guarantees.  Support staff are Geneva-based and providing support resources on-site is difficult. 

Commercial providers and local IT companies will usually provide a service level agreement in which levels of support and response times are guaranteed, in return for a regular payment.  For some offices, this option may be more attractive as it reduces risk in the event of a system failure.


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