Intellectual Property and Life Sciences

Life sciences encompass different scientific fields such as biology, chemistry, physics, medical technology, pharmaceutics, information technology, nutritional science, environmental technology. Life sciences advances, for example in the field of biotechnology, resulted in new disciplines such as genetic engineering, and promise innovative solutions to fundamental challenges related to medicine, food, agriculture and environment.

The relationship between intellectual property and life science innovations is a particular issue of immediate interest and significance to WIPO Member States. WIPO contributes to the practical understanding of the appropriate role and impact of intellectual property rights on life science technologies, including their ethical, development and health policy implications. WIPO supports international policy discussions and promotes the capacity of policymakers to explore and assess the full range of policy options.

WIPO's work considers the role of intellectual property from a range of perspectives:

• Legal and ethical standards of intellectual property protection for life science innovations;
• Administrative and procedural issues related to intellectual property rights protection in life sciences;
• The relationship between patents and other forms of intellectual property protection for life science innovations;
• Life science intellectual property management, including licensing and other use of intellectual property rights;
• Moral and ethical aspects of commercialization of inventions involving genetic alteration of plants or animals, the conservation and preservation of the environment (including the protection of biological diversity) and the protection of animal and human health (including such issues as biosafety, food security and sustainable development);
• The need for new analytical tools and understanding of patenting trends and the enhanced use of patent information.

Activities

• WIPO develops public information materials to assist international policymakers, government agencies and legislators in assessing policy options and formulating recommendations at the national level. These consist of surveys of current issues, background studies, patent landscapes and other forms of policy oriented analysis of patent data in the life sciences domain.
• WIPO provides technical advice, practical information, specialist training and expert briefings on a range of policy processes and discussions relating to IP, such as agricultural biotechnology, public health, medical innovation on neglected diseases, pharmaceuticals and bioethics.
• WIPO engages in cooperation and collaboration with other international organizations and agencies, including the WHO, UNESCO, the CBD, the FAO, the ICGEB, the UNU, UNEP and WTO. WIPO is also an active member of the UN Inter-Agency Committee on Bioethics and UN Biotech, the inter-agency cooperation network in biotechnology.