The World Intellectual Property Report 2011- The Changing Face of Innovation -- a new WIPO publication -- describes how ownership of intellectual property (IP) rights has become central to the strategies of innovating firms worldwide. With global demand for patents rising from 800,000 applications in the early 1980s to 1.8 million in 2009, the Report concludes that growing investments in innovation and the globalization of economic activities are key drivers of this trend.

Press Conference, Palais des Nations, Geneva, Switzerland. November 14, 2011.

The press release can be found at http://wipo.int/pressroom/en/articles/2011/article_0027.html