Egypt's FM receives head of intellectual property protection authority

CAIRO – 2 September 2024: Badr Abdel Aty, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Emigration, met with Dr. Hesham Azmy, the newly appointed head of the Egyptian Intellectual Property Protection Authority, on Monday at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Ambassador Ahmed Abu Zeid, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Emigration, stated that Minister Abdel Aty began the meeting by congratulating Dr. Azmy on his new position as the first head of the Egyptian Intellectual Property Protection Authority.

The Minister emphasized the importance of establishing this new authority as a national entity uniting intellectual property offices from various ministries under one umbrella. This, he said, is a key step in strengthening Egypt’s intellectual property framework, which is a major focus of the country’s leadership.

The Foreign Minister also congratulated Dr. Azmy on Egypt's recent achievement of ranking 95th in the World Intellectual Property Organization's (WIPO) Global Innovation Index for science and technology clusters. This accomplishment, according to the minister, is the result of collaboration between national institutions and continuous coordination between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and WIPO through Egypt’s permanent mission at the United Nations in Geneva.

Minister Abdel Aty also highlighted the growing cooperation with WIPO, especially following the visit of WIPO Director-General Daren Tang to Egypt in September 2022 for the launch of the National Intellectual Property Strategy. The Minister expressed the ministry’s eagerness to strengthen and build on this collaboration.

Dr. Azmy praised the role of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in supporting Egypt’s intellectual property system, especially the contribution of Egypt's permanent mission in Geneva. He further highlighted the need for intellectual property law reforms in the coming period, stating that new legislation would be introduced to align with modern technological advancements and their implications on intellectual property.

Additionally, Dr. Azmy emphasized the importance of raising public awareness about intellectual property and indicated that this would be a key focus for the authority in the near future.

In his concluding remarks, the spokesperson noted that Minister Abdel Aty reaffirmed the Ministry’s commitment to enhancing communication with the Intellectual Property Protection Authority. He emphasized the Ministry’s support in promoting the authority’s work through Egypt’s diplomatic missions abroad and facilitating collaboration with international counterparts.

The minister underscored the critical role of intellectual property in driving the national economy and Egypt's strong focus on supporting innovation, innovators, and using intellectual property to achieve sustainable development goals.