WIPO Diagnostic Tool

The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) is a specialised agency that was created with a view to promote and protect intellectual property on a global scale. It was institutionalised on April 26^th, 1970 and has since made remarkable changes to the sphere of intellectual property globally.

One of the most recent developments brought forth by WIPO in this regard is the introduction of the WIPO IP Diagnostics Tool which aptly captures intellectual property and technology at a converging point. Following in WIPO’s footsteps, India has introduced a similar tool with the aim of making one’s intellectual property more accessible and understandable while providing better insights into how their IP assets can be protected better using the power of technology.

All about WIPO’s IP Diagnostic Tool:

WIPO’s Diagnostic Tool offers a free and user-friendly interface aimed at helping people acquire crucial insights about their intellectual property assets. It consists of answering a simple questionnaire about the user’s business following which a tailored response is generated by the Tool. The Tool is instrumental in acquainting people with the concept of Intellectual Property, identifying the core Intellectual Property assets in a business and subsequently, offering a free and personalized strategy that aims at optimizing their business output through the lens of Intellectual Property.

All can access WIPO’s Diagnostic Tool and it is created especially to aid small enterprises in the identification of their Intellectual Property and harness and protect it in a manner that increases the value and output of the business while ensuring its long-term viability.

Apart from small enterprises, the Tool can also be used by organisations that actively support small businesses such as innovation agencies or start-up support organizations.

The fact that such a powerful tool is available free of cost means that it can be used to get a clear and panoramic view of the potential intellectual property protection that may be afforded by a particular organization. The Tool takes merely an hour to deliver an accurate and tailored response to the questionnaire filled in by the user which can be conveniently downloaded through the PDF format.

Procedure of Use:

The protection of Intellectual Property is crucial for any organization, especially for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) if they want to establish themselves as household names. Strategic IP management can have huge advantages for any business and for that, this particular Diagnostic Tool is a valuable resource.

To use this tool properly, one must understand the functionality of it. The Tool is designed to help its users in a very simple manner starting with questions which can be answered by choosing either yes or no. The first thing the user sees upon entering the webpage of WIPO’s Diagnostic Tool is a set of ten questions tailored to the business of the user. These questions cover the following vital fields:

1. Whether the business has any innovative products or revolves around any kind of technical advancement.
2. If the business uses any form of creative expression to boost their business such as flyers, music, pamphlets etc.
3. If the enterprise is engaged in enhancing the visual aspect of its products with the help of patterns, shapes, lines, combination of colours etc.
4. Another important field is whether the business uses or is engaged in handling commercially valuable or confidential information from its competitors.
5. How far the business is concerned with making its trade distinguishable from its competitors in the market.
6. If the business depends on the help of external contractors or support in conducting their trade.
7. If the business has a website or not.
8. If the business engages in cross-border operations.
9.  If the business has employees.
10.  If the business has taken the help of Intellectual Property protection before.

Based on the answer to these questions, the Tool formulates a personalised result based on the data submitted by the user. The WIPO Diagnostics Tool also gives the user personalised results based on the country they’re from given that the user belongs to a member country. If the user is from a member country, then the tool’s assessment shall be in consonance with the IP laws of that country.

The Diagnostics Tool also serves as a repository of information from various WIPO member countries. When a user from a specific country participates in the self-assessment, the tool tailors its evaluation to that country’s IP laws.

In conclusion, the Diagnostics Tool is a goldmine of invaluable information about national and international intellectual property laws and offers much-needed guidance on how a business can be safeguarded through IP protection free of cost. However, the Tool still requires work as the questionnaire is broad-based and doesn’t go into a micro-analysis of the inner workings of the business. But, given that the Tool is still in the developmental stages, it is commendable to witness the kind of support it offers businesses at an early level which would have otherwise been inaccessible. Having this kind of guidance is essential as it provides individuals with an idea of how they can protect their business and help it grow over time even if they might need to take the help of experienced IP professionals later on.