WIPO member states approved the appointment of four Deputy Directors General and four Assistant Directors General at a meeting on 3 December. The appointments were proposed by Director General Daren Tang (pictured).

The eight appointments comprise representatives of the United States, China, France, Indonesia, Japan, Ghana, Colombia and the UK. There are five men and three women. “This is the most gender diverse senior leadership in WIPO’s history," said Mr Tang: "It will be a source of strength for WIPO and demonstrate our seriousness about gender diversity.”

MARQUES congratulates all of the new Deputy and Assistant Directors General, and in particular welcomes the re-appointment of Wang Binying as Deputy Director General, Brands and Designs Sector.

MARQUES cooperates closely with the Brands and Designs Sector, as part of its commitment to fostering awareness and contributing to the improvement of the trade mark and design systems administered by WIPO, and we look forward to continuing to work with Wang Binying and her team.

The incoming team starts on 1 January 2021 and its term coincides with that that of the Director General.

New features on IP Portal

WIPO has added new features and streamlined the categorisation of Madrid online services, to make it easier for users to find what they are looking for.

The new features include:

• The “Marks” category has been renamed “Trademarks”
• The services have been grouped under three main categories – Search, File & Manage, and Pay – making navigation around Madrid System services more intuitive.
• A “NEW” icon has been added to highlight the new services available through the menu, such as the “Limitation of Goods and Services”.

The WIPO IP Portal includes more information about the new features and a 30-second survey where you can tell WIPO what other changes you would like to see.