Personal data and Privacy Policy

Ensuring the privacy of our Users' personal data is of the utmost significance for WIPO. Unless service-specific rules on personal data and privacy apply, the processing of personal data by WIPO through its website (and other online services) is subject to the following terms to which the user agrees by browsing the WIPO website and using its online services:

Categories of personal data processed by WIPO

When accessing WIPO's webpage and other online services, WIPO may process personal data in the course of the creation of a WIPO Account or the use of certain other WIPO websites and services (e.g., IP Portal, ePCT, WIPO newsletter, WIPO Contact Form, WIPO Conference Registration, etc.). The personal data processed may, inter alia, include the User's first and last name, address, phone number and email address.

Purpose of the processing

WIPO processes the users' personal data to fulfill its objective and functions as stipulated in the Convention Establishing the World Intellectual Property Organization. These objectives and functions consist, inter alia, of promoting the protection of intellectual property worldwide, maintaining services facilitating its protection and assembling as well as disseminating information concerning the protection of intellectual property.

WIPO also processes the users' personal data to reply to requests, to maintain daily operations and systems administration and to improve its services.

WIPO may contact users regarding account status, to confirm registration and to advise Users of major changes to the system.

Using the users' e-mail addresses, WIPO may periodically send users information, survey requests or promotional e-mails about services, events, webinars or publications offered by WIPO.

Upon request, users may "opt out" of further e-mail contact (except for notifications regarding major changes to the service).

Cookies

Cookies are small texts sent from a web server and stored on a user's device, for instance, a computer or mobile phone. WIPO's website and its online services use cookies to offer the User an improved browsing experience, including features such as a single sign-on across different WIPO services or remembering the user's language settings, as well as continuous enhancement of WIPO's website and online services based on monitoring their usage and corresponding trends. For the latter purpose, WIPO's website and other online services may also use various web analytics tools to collect, inter alia, the WIPO Account username (for logged-in users), information on the Internet Protocol address of the Users, the time spent on the WIPO website or online services, which webpages are visited, or the time and date of the visit.

The information collected via cookies and analytical tools is used in aggregated and anonymous manner for statistical purposes, and not to identify individual Users.

Users may, depending on their respective web browser, delete cookies at any time and/or make general settings with regard to the acceptance, rejection and deletion of cookies. This may however render certain features of WIPO's website and online services unavailable.