The delegation of Sri Lanka headed by Ambassador of Sri Lanka to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Ameer Ajwad, including Director General of the National Intellectual Property Organization of Sri Lanka Geethanjali Ranawaka participated in the adoption of an international treaty on design law held at the Diplomatic Conference of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) hosted by Saudi Arabia in Riyadh from 11-22 November 2024.
The Diplomatic Conference was organized by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) to conclude and adopt a Design Law Treaty (DLT) aiming at streamlining the global system for protecting designs, making it easier and more affordable for designers to protect their work in home markets as well as overseas.
WIPO member States approved the new treaty after 20 years of negotiations and adopted it on 22 November 2024 under the chairmanship of Saudi Arabia, marking a major step forward in empowering designers and fostering international collaboration in design. The treaty was named as “Riyadh Design Treaty”. The Chairperson of the WIPO Diplomatic Conference and the CEO of the Saudi Authority for Intellectual Property Dr. Abdulaziz AlSwailem stated that the treaty reflected Saudi Arabia’s pivotal role as a bridge between cultures and a hub for supporting global initiatives. Director General of WIPO Daren Tang stated that a history was made after 20 years, and it was not only a victory for designers but a boon for multilateralism.
193 members of the WIPO participated at the Conference and 17 member States signed the Treaty after the adoption and all other member States including Sri Lanka placed their signatures at the final Act as witnesses to the adoption of the Treaty.
Embassy of Sri Lanka
Riyadh
01 January 2025
