Canada’s countless inventors, scientists and engineers have changed the world with their creations.
This Wednesday, artists, innovators and organizations of all stripes are standing together on World IP day to celebrate contributions that Intellectual Property Rights or IPRs have made in driving limitless human innovation. According to the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), “Innovation is a human force that knows no limits. It turns problems into progress. It pushes the boundaries of possibility, creating unprecedented new capabilities. World Intellectual Property Day 2017 celebrates that creative force.”
Canadian Innovation
Zippers, garbage bags and paint rollers. Items such as these are so ingrained in daily life, we can’t imagine living without them. How would we do up a jacket? Take out the trash or even give a wall a fresh coat of paint?
Without the Canadians behind these inventions all these tasks – and many more – would prove to be more than a little difficult.
Without Joseph Coyle’s “Ah HA!” moment more than 100 years ago, carrying eggs home from the grocery store might be a whole lot messier.
Coyle is among Canada’s countless tinkerers, engineers and scientists whose creations have changed the modern world. His tale is a cautionary one. His invention came at a time when Canadian governments were trying to figure out how to foster innovation. While Coyle’s invention is still widely used today, but it never earned him a big payout.
Many business leaders, academics and policy-makers say Canada is much better at converting the innovations and intellectual property that flow from the finest minds into successful global companies.
Intellectual Property Rights around the World
Online, Property Rights Alliance and 54 partner organizations have signed an open letter to WIPO General Director Francis Gurry for the organization to take greater action in the era where IP rights have never been more at risk.
IP rights allow inventors, artists, and entrepreneurs to have their original works protected in the marketplace. Countries with strong IP rights have more full-time researchers, greater investments in R&D, more articles and books published, and greater rates of entrepreneurship.
Many low and middle income countries, the most populated countries, rank poorly in protecting intellectual property rights. This hurts local economies, and the rest of the world is robbed of the immeasurable value of full-participation. Plagued by counterfeiters and fraudulence, inventors don’t stand a chance. People who peddle rip-offs dangerous to consumers, and IP creators are unable to compete, let alone invest, in such an unfair market.