The 30th session of the Committee on Development and Intellectual Property (CDIP) of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) was held from April 24 to April 28, 2023, in Geneva, in a hybrid format. The Republic of Moldova was represented in the Committee by Victoria Plesca, head of the International Relations and European Integration Department and Victoria Severin, principal specialist, Communication and Training Division, State Agency on Intellectual Property (AGEPI).

The meeting was attended by over 100 delegates from 72 WIPO Member States, as well as representatives of international and national, governmental and non-governmental organizations.

The International Conference entitled “Intellectual Property and Innovation for Sustainable Agriculture” was organized on April 24, where participants discussed the importance of innovation for sustainable agriculture and how intellectual property tools can support this sector. In addition, the role of innovation and intellectual property at different stages of the agricultural value chain was analyzed. The event is part of a series of Conferences organized biennially within the CDIP.

On the first working day of the Committee, its plenary session was opened by WIPO Deputy Director General Kleib Hasan, who welcomed the continued commitment and interest of Member States in the implementation of the Development Agenda projects. The Deputy Director General of WIPO reiterated that the Organization continued to strive to ensure the implementation and mainstreaming of the Development Agenda Recommendations in all its sectors. It also encouraged all Member States to apply to the assistance programs made available by WIPO.

The 30th session of the Committee on Development and Intellectual Property was moderated by H.E. Khalil Hasmi, Ambassador of Pakistan to the UN, Geneva.

In accordance with the work agenda, the member states addressed several topics of priority interest for the development and strengthening of the global system for the protection and exploitation of intellectual property.

Among the most important projects discussed and adopted we mention the following:

• Intellectual property and Gastronomic Tourism in Peru and other Developing Countries: Promoting the Development of Gastronomic Tourism through Intellectual Property – Phase II – Project Proposal Submitted by Peru, Cameroon, Malaysia and Morocco (CDIP/30/7);
• Project Proposal on Empowering Youth (K-12) to Innovate for a Better Future – Submitted by the United States of America and the Republic of Korea and Co-Sponsored by Canada (CDIP/30/15/REV);
• Project Proposal Submitted by Kenya on Development of Strategies and Tools to Address Online Piracy in the African Digital Market (CDIP/30/4/REV);
• Pilot Project on Text and Data Mining (DTM) to Support Research and Innovation in Universities and Other Research-Oriented Institutions in Africa – Proposal Submitted by the African Group (CDIP/30/9/REV).

The current meeting of the Committee ended with the approval of the priority topics for the future activity of the Committee.

The documents discussed within the Committee can be accessed at: https://www.wipo.int/meetings/en/details.jsp?meeting_id=75032.

At the same time, the 49th session of the International Patent Classification (IPC) Revision Working Group was held from April 24 to April 28, 2023, in Geneva.

The Working Group took note of the report of the secretariat on the 54th Session of the IPC Committee of Experts. At the same time, the Working Group took note of a report by the European Patent Office (EPO) on behalf of the five intellectual property offices (Japan Patent Office, United States Patent and Trademark Office, EPO, China National Intellectual Property Administration and the Korean Intellectual Property Office), on the 24th Session of the IP5 Working Group on Classification.

The Working Group discussed 31 IPC revision projects and 14 maintenance projects in the mechanical, chemical and electrical fields. A large part of these projects have been approved and finalized with regard to changes in the scheme and definition, they will enter into force starting from January 2024. The Republic of Moldova was represented in the International Patent Classification Revision Working Group by Natalia Caisim, Head of Examination Division, Patents Department of AGEPI.