World IP Day is celebrated every year on April 26. The event was established by the General Assembly of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) in 2000. On this day, April 26, in 1970, that the international Convention came into force, according to which the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) was established.

The Republic of Azerbaijan has been a member of WIPO since 1995 and has acceded to its 16 agreements relating to the protection of intellectual property rights and related rights. In 2006, a Cooperation Program between WIPO and the Republic of Azerbaijan was signed. In 2012, the Center for the Protection of Intellectual Property Rights of Azerbaijan became a member of the WIPO Global Network of Intellectual Property Academies.

In the new century knowledge economy, intellectual property and the intellectual capital concentrated in it act as the main currency. In developed countries, intellectual property assets, prevailing over material ones, have created a new level in the world economy. The “concrete and iron-based economy” has transformed into a knowledge-based, digital, creative economy, and as a result, the phenomenon of intellectual property, which remained in the shadows for many years due to its peculiarities, has become the center of attention of public opinion and analysis in recent years. Today, intellectual property plays a key role in the sustainable development of every country. Since the development of science, technology and culture depends on the protection of intellectual property rights. In this sense, state policy in the field of intellectual property protection also leads to the development of the country's scientific and technical potential and the effective use of this potential. Therefore, the integration of intellectual property issues into national legislation is considered an important step.

During the period of independence, our country paid attention to the protection and development of intellectual property and created a rich legislative framework in this area. Under the leadership of national leader Heydar Aliyev, the laws of the Republic of Azerbaijan were adopted in 1996 "On Copyright and related Rights", in 1997 "On Patents", in 1998 "On Trademarks and Geographical Indications", and in 1995 our country joined the convention established by the World Intellectual Property Organization, and The Eurasian Patent Convention and established cooperation with the European Patent Organization.

Today we also see that the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, who has successfully continued the political course of national leader Heydar Aliyev, pays due attention to this area, which is developing within the framework of the requirements of the new world order and that the targeted economic policy he is implementing in our country serves the development of an innovative economy, focused on the development of the non-oil sector and relying on experience and human capital. The growing interest of our society in intellectual property as an economic factor is a clear confirmation of this. In a rapidly changing world, Azerbaijan is gradually strengthening its position and taking its rightful place among the countries of the world.

Thanks to the efforts and support of President Ilham Aliyev, relevant reforms are being carried out in the field of intellectual property, legislation and the regulatory framework are constantly being enriched and improved. In this area, much attention is paid to professional development of personnel. Of course, these targeted reforms stem from the new nature of intellectual property in the global economy.

The legal protection of inventions, utility models, industrial designs, trademarks, and geographical indications, which are areas of intellectual property, is regulated in our country by normative legal acts adapted to the requirements of the World Trade Organization. The adoption of the Law of the Republic of Azerbaijan “On Guarantees of Intellectual Property Rights and combating Piracy” on May 22, 2012, further expanded the range of measures implemented in this area. Over time, favorable conditions have been created in our country for the legal protection of the results of creative activity, and integration into the international system in the field of intellectual property rights protection has been successfully implemented.

As a result of the structural, institutional, and economic reforms implemented in 2018, significant organizational and functional changes have taken place in the intellectual property system. On April 20, 2018, the Intellectual Property Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan was established by Decree of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev. The Agency successfully fulfills its tasks to ensure the effective functioning, sustainable development, and transparency of the sphere of intellectual property rights in the territory of the republic, protect the rights of intellectual property rights holders, and improve knowledge in this area, guided by advanced corporate governance standards in the field of intellectual property rights regulation.

The proclamation of the International Intellectual Property Day is based on the respect of human society for intellectual property and its creators. The main purpose of various events held annually in most countries of the world on the occasion of International Intellectual Property Day is to draw attention to the role of intellectual property in enriching cultural heritage, sustainable economic development and the formation of an information society, to show the role that intellectual property rights play in promoting innovation and creativity, supporting and stimulating the activities of creative people and providing assistance to the creators of intellectual property.

Recommended literature:

1. Əqli mülkiyyət hüquqları : məqalələr toplusu / Azərbaycan Respublikası Müəllif Hüquqları Agentliyi ; tərt. N. İsayev. - Bakı : Azərbaycan Respublikası Müəllif hüquqları Agentliyi, 2013. - 198 s.
2. İmanov, Kamran Sultan oğlu. Əqli mülkiyyət və insan hüquqları = Intellectual property and human rights / K. S. İmanov ; Bakı Beynəlxalq Multikulturalizm Mərkəzi, Azərbaycan Respublikası Müəllif Hüquqları Agentliyi. - Bakı : Azərbaycan Respublikası Müəllif hüquqları Agentliyi, 2016. - 29 s.
3. Allahverdiyev, Sabir Salman oğlu. Azərbaycan Respublikasının əqli mülkiyyət hüququ : mülki hüququn yarımsahəsi: dərs vəsaiti / S. S. Allahverdiyev ; elmi red. A. T. Səfərov ; Odlar Yurdu Universiteti. - II nəşr. - Bakı : Hüquq Yayın Evi, 2022. - 456 s.
4. İmanov, Kamran Sultan oğlu. Əqli mülkiyyət və insan kapitalı / K. S. İmanov. - Bakı : Azərbaycan Respublikası Müəllif hüquqları Agentliyi, 2016. - 23 s.