What is the World Intellectual Property Organization – WIPO / Organisation mondiale de la propriété intellectuelle – OMPI ?
The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) is the specialized agency of the United Nations dedicated to promoting and protecting intellectual property around the world. Headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, WIPO brings together 193 member states and is the principal global forum in which policies, treaties and services in this field are developed.
Mission and areas of work
WIPO's mission is to build a balanced and effective international intellectual property system that fosters innovation and creativity for the benefit of everyone. The areas it covers include industrial property – patents, trademarks, industrial designs, geographical indications – and copyright and related rights, which protect literary, musical, cinematographic and artistic works.
WIPO administers a set of international treaties that establish common standards and make it easier to protect rights across borders. Among the best known are the Paris Convention (industrial property) and the Berne Convention (copyright), together with the treaties that underpin the global service systems.
Global services for innovators and creators
One of WIPO's central roles is to provide practical services that make it possible to protect rights in many countries through a single procedure:
- The PCT System (Patent Cooperation Treaty) – for international patent applications.
- The Madrid System – for the international registration of trademarks.
- The Hague System – for industrial designs.
- The Lisbon System – for appellations of origin and geographical indications.
- The WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center – for alternative dispute resolution, including domain names.
Governance and decision-making bodies
WIPO's principal decision-making bodies are the General Assembly and the Coordination Committee. The Director General heads the Organization's Secretariat and is appointed by the General Assembly, upon nomination by the Coordination Committee. Each year, member states meet within the series of Assembly meetings to take the major decisions on the budget, programs and policy directions.
In addition to its normative role and the administration of services, WIPO carries out technical assistance, training, economic research (including the Global Innovation Index) and development cooperation, helping states to strengthen their own intellectual property systems.
Why it is relevant for consumers
Although it may seem like a technical organization, WIPO has a direct impact on the lives of consumers. A robust intellectual property system ensures that trademarks are authentic, that innovations reach the market and that counterfeit products – often dangerous – are combated. As a member of WIPO, InfoCons contributes to these debates by bringing the consumer perspective and supporting policies that protect their health, safety and economic interests.
From information to action: the role of the InfoCons app
InfoCons' objective is not only to provide access to information, but also to empower consumers through digital innovation. The InfoCons app – a unique, innovative application – gives them practical tools to identify risks and actively contribute to a safer and more transparent marketplace. Through a simple barcode or QR code scan, consumers can access relevant information about products, right in front of the shelf.
One of the key features is the alerts section, which makes it possible to verify whether a product is subject to official safety alerts issued at European level, for both food and non-food products. The app provides information on the product name, the country concerned, the level of risk, the country of origin, the date the alert was published and an image of the product. At the same time, through dedicated functionalities, citizens can report products or services that may infringe intellectual property rights through counterfeiting or piracy.
Available in 33 languages, the app helps to disseminate consumer protection and intellectual property awareness messages at European and international level. Its educational dimension promotes informed choices and a culture based on responsibility, transparency and originality.
The presence of InfoCons at the Sixty-Eighth Series of Meetings of the Assemblies of the Member States of WIPO, through its President Sorin Mierlea, is a concrete demonstration of how digital innovation can support respect for intellectual property rights and protect consumers in Romania and around the world.
Intellectual property and the everyday consumer
Intellectual property is often perceived as a technical subject reserved for lawyers and large companies. In reality, it is present in the life of each of us, every single day. The trademark on a product tells us who made it and guarantees a certain standard of quality; patents make it possible for new medicines, technologies and innovative solutions to emerge; copyright rewards the work of those who create cultural and educational content. When these rights are infringed through counterfeiting or piracy, the first to suffer is often the consumer.
Counterfeit products mean not only economic losses for companies and public budgets, but also a real danger to people's health and safety. Counterfeit toys, cosmetics, car parts, medicines or electronics can endanger consumers' lives, precisely because they are made without respecting quality and safety standards. In an increasingly digital economy, where online commerce erases borders, these risks multiply, and the need for accurate, rapid information becomes essential.
That is precisely why InfoCons has developed a unique and innovative consumer protection app that allows people to check products before buying them, consult European safety alerts and report products suspected of counterfeiting or piracy. Through this digital tool, every consumer becomes an active partner in the shared effort to make the marketplace safer, more transparent and fairer.
InfoCons' participation in the Sixty-Eighth Series of Meetings of the Assemblies of the Member States of WIPO, through its President Sorin Mierlea, is part of this steady commitment: bringing the voice of Romanian and European consumers to the world's foremost intellectual property forum and turning global debates into concrete protection for citizens.
InfoCons, a voice for consumers in international forums
InfoCons is a member of the World Intellectual Property Organization – WIPO, the only consumer protection organization in Romania accredited within this international forum. This official recognition places Romania on the global map of organizations that contribute to the international dialogue in the field of intellectual property. Through its participation in WIPO meetings and working groups, InfoCons promotes consumer interests and supports policies that encourage innovation and the fight against counterfeiting.
At European level, InfoCons is an active member of the EUIPO Observatory – the European Union Intellectual Property Office – with an important role within the Civil Society Working Group. At national level, the organization has been part, since 2006, of the Working Group on Intellectual Property Matters, coordinated by the Prosecutor's Office attached to the High Court of Cassation and Justice. This involvement on three levels – national, European and international – gives InfoCons a complete perspective on the counterfeiting phenomenon.
The organization's commitment translates into concrete actions: European projects dedicated to young people, large-scale awareness campaigns and an innovative app that puts information within reach of every consumer. All of these share a common denominator: the conviction that respect for intellectual property rights and consumer protection are two sides of the same coin.
In this context, the presence of InfoCons at the Sixty-Eighth Series of Meetings of the Assemblies of the Member States of WIPO, through its President Sorin Mierlea, is a natural continuation of nearly two decades of work dedicated to defending consumer interests in the field of intellectual property.
Signature: InfoCons Consumer Protection and Intellectual Property Department