Francis Gurry (WIPO)

Francis Gurry is an Australian lawyer who served as the Director General of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) from 2008 to 2020. WIPO is a United Nations agency that promotes the protection of inventions, trademarks, copyrights, and other intellectual property worldwide. Under his leadership, WIPO worked to simplify and streamline international patents and copyright systems, fostering innovation and creativity across countries. Gurry’s role involved facilitating agreements among nations, encouraging intellectual property development, and supporting access to knowledge. His tenure helped strengthen global cooperation in protecting intellectual property rights to stimulate economic growth and innovation.