Thomson Reuters | Partnering to Support Innovation in Developing Nations

19 Oct 2010

Partnering to Support Innovation in Developing Nations

Francis Gurry (L), of WIPO, and David Brown (R), of Thomson Reuters, sign the agreement to provide free and low-cost access to comprehensive patent information in developing countries. Photo by Valentin Flauraud.

Our IP Solutions business has partnered with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) for the Access to Specialized Patent Information (ASPI) program. ASPI will give industrial property offices and government and academic researchers in developing countries free and low-cost access to comprehensive patent information, to foster innovation and participate more fully in the global economy.

WIPO is a specialized agency of the United Nations, dedicated to developing a balanced and accessible international intellectual property (IP) system, rewarding creativity, stimulating innovation and contributing to economic development while safeguarding the public interest.

David Brown, president of our IP Solutions business, commented on the program by acknowledging its importance in a speech to attendees, followed by a signing ceremony and press conference with WIPO Director General Mr. Francis Gurry and other dignitaries at WIPO's headquarters in Geneva.
"Some have said that necessity is the spark for innovation, but in many cases necessity may not be enough. Intelligent information, however, can be the fuel for accelerating innovation on a sustained basis," said Mr. Brown.

"The ASPI program offers the hope that through innovation - and its protection via intellectual property - developing nations can grow economically, socially, and technically, to foster human welfare and development, and become more integrated within the global knowledge economy."

Innovation is beginning to lead BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China) and VISTA (Vietnam, Indonesia, South Africa, Turkey and Argentina) nations to advance technically, economically and socially. The economies of the latter have been forecast to grow 25.5 times more rapidly than today's seven most industrialized countries by 2050.

"Patent information represents a critical source of knowledge and insight for researchers and innovators, legal professionals, entrepreneurs, and policymakers across the globe," said Mr. Gurry. "The ASPI program will allow developing and least-developed countries to benefit from enhanced access to powerful tools for exploiting this valuable resource under very favorable conditions. The program also represents a pioneering public-private partnership between WIPO and leading patent data service providers, whose generosity and vision have made this program possible."

Thomson Innovation, the premier intellectual property research and analysis platform, will be made available to researchers through the program.

There are numerous countries eligible for free, or significantly reduced, access to Thomson Innovation. The countries comprise three tiers:

Group 1 - least-developed nations, such as Cambodia, Haiti and Somalia
Group 2 - marginally developed nations, such as Albania and Fiji
Group 3 - developing nations, such as Barbados, Libya and Mauritius