In less than six months’ time, a new head of the Organization will be chosen by member states to replace Kamil Idris, who is stepping down from the post a year early. Member states and IP owners will hope that the new leader will restore confidence and credibility in the Organization.
Yesterday the Brazilian government said it will be nominating José Graça-Aranha, the director of WIPO’s International Registrations Department, as its candidate for the post.
At the moment, he is the only confirmed contender. Member states have until 5pm on February 13 to nominate other candidates for the position.
Graça-Aranha confirmed the nomination to MIP Week and expressed his satisfaction at this news. He joined the Organization in 1993 where he worked in the Development Cooperation and External Relations Bureau for Latin America and the Caribbean. In May 1998 he was transferred to the International Registrations Department.
A year later, he left WIPO because of his appointment as the president of the National Institute of Industrial Property (INPI) in Brazil but returned to WIPO in January 2004.
Although no shortlist has been prepared, speculation has already focused on a number of other figures who may emerge as candidates.
One of these is Benoît Battistelli, the director-general of the National Institute for Industrial Property in France.
When MIP Week asked him whether he is considering standing, he said: “It's a very complicated and difficult situation at WIPO right now. I think the Organization needs somebody who can help the different parties work together, especially developing and developed countries.”
"I know that my name is one of those talked about [as a potential candidate] but I haven't yet made up my mind ... Let's see what happens in the next few weeks,” he added.
Some observers believe Jorge Amigo Castañeda, director-general of the Mexican Institute of Industrial Property, will be a frontrunner.
When contacted, he didn’t rule out or rule in his name. Instead he said that once the Mexican government presents its official candidacy, he will let people know.
Enrique Manalo, ambassador of the Philippines to the UN and a former chair of the WIPO General Assembly, is also being touted as among the favourites.
Besides these names, other likely candidates could include Francis Gurry, WIPO deputy director-general; Alain Pompidou, former president of the EPO; and Roland Grossenbacher of the Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property.
The process of appointing a new director-general was set out in a letter sent by Hilda Skorpen, the chair of the Coordination Committee, to member states and WIPO employees in November last year.
Each member state can propose the name of one of its nationals as a candidate for nomination by the WIPO Coordination Committee.
Once all the nominations have been received, member states will be notified of the names. The Coordination Committee will then be convened on May 13 and 14 for an extraordinary session and by the end of it Idris’s successor will be appointed. He/she will officially take over at this year's General Assembly at the end of September.
Skorpen’s letter went on to say that a consensus would be preferred for the decision but recognized that voting by secret ballot may be necessary.
This election is being followed with much interest and observers view it as a new start for WIPO, which has come under criticism from a number of member states over the past few years.
However, most organizations that represent IP owners believe that it is too early for them to endorse a candidate publicly.
In December, the Intellectual Property Owners Association (IPO) put an advertisement in the French-language Geneva newspapers Tribune de Geneve and Le Temps urging member states “to act promptly and with extreme care” to find a new director-general.
Herb Wamsley, executive director of IPO, explained the idea behind the advert. “We wanted to help publicize this as we want someone with significant and relevant experience, and who is sympathetic to IP issues and believes in effective and adequate protection of IP,” he said.
The advert stressed that "the new director-general should have a record of success in responsible positions in the field of intellectual property, the political and management skills necessary to lead this critical international organization, and the confidence and respect of the international community”.
Michael Kirk, executive director of the American Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA) said that the Association is still in the middle of “considering this question, but to date have not reached a decision”.
Jane Collins, chair of MARQUES, also expressed “extreme interest” in the nomination and said that the organization’s members would “prefer someone who had experience in IP and understands IP issues rather than diplomats or ambassadors”.
“Often a lot of these appointments are based on political appointment instead of finding someone who would be good for the job,” she said, but added that she hopes that this time around it will be different.
The February 2008 issue Managing IP, available online on February 1, will carry an interview with Benoît Battistelli.
