IPO attachés in Geneva, Switzerland
The below provides guidance and helpful information on the IPO's attachés based in Geneva, Switzerland
Introduction
The Intellectual Property Office’s (IPO) attachés in Geneva, Switzerland are Lizzie Wilson and Valeriano Simone.
What we do to support UK business
Our role is very different to other regional based attachés. Our primary function is to provide UK IP objectives by working within multilateral institutions, such as the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO), to maintain a reliable and robust IP system for UK business.
Operating in a multilateral hub, we play an important role in monitoring and shaping international IP language and policy across IP international fora, ensuring alignment with UK strategic interests. This includes delivering against the priorities in the UK’s Modern Industrial Strategy and the UK Trade Strategy, which are there to boost economic growth and innovation for the benefit of UK business.
How we can be contacted
Email askinternational@ipo.gov.uk and we will respond to your query within 10 working days.
How this helps UK business
A balanced and robust effective international IP system provides the necessary IP framework to allow UK business to successfully trade overseas and compete on a global scale. We use the UK’s influence and reputation on IP to work with International organisations, other countries’ Missions and across UK government departments to shape and influence the international IP ecosystem. This can be through participating in negotiations on multilateral rules; driving multilateral discussions and workstreams to promote and improve UK priorities, and sharing best practice.
We also welcome UK Trade Bodies to Geneva, such as Chartered Institute of Patent Attorneys (CIPA) and Chartered Institute of Trade Mark Attorneys (CITMA). In addition to this, we welcome engaging with international bodies, such as the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations (IFPMA), so they can better influence and promote the IP system and tackle policy areas of concern.
Typical issues to be aware of
As the international IP system is used universally in most industries, IP is raised in many different international forums and organisations. Therefore, it crosses many different policy topics. Topics can be varied and can range from high profile areas such as pharmaceuticals, agriculture and artificial intelligence (AI) to lesser-known sectors, for example plants/genetic resources.
One of the biggest challenges is preventing resolutions or agreements that could weaken global IP norms and harm the UK’s innovation system. This requires careful negotiation and diplomacy to strike a balance between maintaining flexibility and protecting UK IP red lines. The UK aims to ensure the international IP system remains effective, robust and protects UK innovation and growth interests overseas as well as support the UK businesses and users of the international systems.