Qatar wins presidency of International Union for Protection of Literary and Artistic Works

Qatar has won the presidency of the Executive Committee of the International Union for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works (Berne Union) for two years, with Ahmed al-Sulaiti, acting director of Qatar’s Office to the World Trade Organisation, elected as the chairman. Representatives from the US and Finland were elected as chairman deputies.This came during the 63rd Series of Meetings of the Assemblies of the Member States of the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) that were convened from July 14 to 24. The Berne Union belongs to WIPO.Qatar's presidency of the Berne Union emanates from the great attention Qatar pays to the intellectual property issues, as the members of the Union placed their trust in Qatar in recognition of the progress it has achieved in this strategic field.The Executive Committee, in tandem with the Assembly of the Berne Union, oversees the implementation of the Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works of 1886, which handles the protection of works and the rights of authors, and provides creators with the means to control their works under all circumstances.WIPO is one of the oldest specialised agencies in the UN system, and one of the largest international organisations in Geneva.It is considered the global forum for services, public policy and co-operation in the field of intellectual property.It has 193 members, and works mainly on developing an international system, in addition to balanced and efficient IP, encouraging innovation and creativity for the benefit of all. (QNA)