The United International Bureaux for the Protection of Intellectual Property (BIRPI) was an international organization. It was set up in 1893 to administer the Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works and the Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property. The BIRPI is the predecessor of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). BIRPI is an acronym for ''Bureaux Internationaux Réunis pour la Protection de la Propriété Intellectuelle'' ( French for "United International Bureaux for the Protection of Intellectual Property").

History

1883 - Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property

In 1873, a pressing issue became evident for creators, in that they feared that others would steal their ideas since there was no way to regulate such things. Many exhibitors chose not to attend the International Exhibition of Inventions in Vienna, Austria that year. In 1883, the Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property came about to address this issue, and became the first step in intellectual property protection.

1886 - Berne Convention

There were still some gaps in protection after the Paris Convention, so in 1886, there was the Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works. This meant that creative works, such as music, books, and paintings, were also given protections.

1893 - BIRPI established

In 1893, the International Bureau established by the Paris Convention and the International Bureau established by Berne Convention, both to carry out administrative tasks, merged to form the BIRPI.

1960 - Move

Originally based in

Bern Bern (), or Berne (), ; ; ; . is the ''de facto'' Capital city, capital of Switzerland, referred to as the "federal city".; ; ; . According to the Swiss constitution, the Swiss Confederation intentionally has no "capital", but Bern has gov ...

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

, the BIRPI moved to

Geneva Geneva ( , ; ) ; ; . is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland and the most populous in French-speaking Romandy. Situated in the southwest of the country, where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is the ca ...

in 1960.

1970 - Name Change Convention

The BIRPI changed to the WIPO (World Intellectual Property Organization). The Convention changed the name, while also making it an intergovernmental organization which is led by member-states.

Beyond

The last director of the BIRPI was Georg Bodenhausen.

References

1893 in law 1893 in international relations Organizations established in 1893 Former international organizations Intellectual property organizations Intergovernmental organizations established by treaty World Intellectual Property Organization Organisations based in Bern Organisations based in Geneva {{international-law-stub