WIPO Director General Francis Gurry to speak at Frankfurter Buchmesse’s Opening Press Conference

The Director General of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), Francis Gurry, is the keytnote speaker at the opening press conference of the Frankfurter Buchmesse (16-20 October 2019) on Tuesday, 15 October.

WIPO promotes innovation and creativity for the economic, social and cultural development of all countries, through a balanced and effective international and effective intellectual property system. Under Gurry’s leadership, it is addressing major challenges. These include managing the stress on international patent and copyright systems produced by rapid technological change, by globalization and increased demand; reducing the knowledge gap between developed and developing countries; and ensuring that the intellectual property (IP) system serves its fundamental purpose of encouraging creativity and innovation in all countries.

Francis Gurry will be addressing the centrality of IP to the global economy and challenges faced by the intellectual property system in the context of the publishing industry at Frankfurter Buchmesse.

Gurry has led WIPO since October 1, 2008. An Australian lawyer by profession, he holds law degrees from the University of Melbourne, a PhD from the University of Cambridge, and is honorary professor of, and holds honorary doctorates from, universities in a wide range of countries. He is the author of a number of publications, one of which has become a standard legal text in the UK and is published by Oxford University Press as "Gurry on Breach of Confidence".

The Opening Press Conference of the Frankfurt Book Fair will take place on Tuesday, 15 October 2019 at 11 am in the Frankfurt Pavilion on the premises of the fair. Registration is now open for accredited journalists to attend. To obtain a Frankfurter Buchmesse press pass please register here: https://www.buchmesse.de/en/press(opens in a new window). After this step, please then register here to attend the Opening Press Conference: https://en.xing-events.com/UMEHTMR.html(opens in a new window)

You can download a high res press photo of Francis Gurry here: https://www.wipo.int/about-wipo/en/dgo/(opens in a new window)

> Find all press releases and photos on our website. https://www.buchmesse.de/en/press(opens in a new window)

About Frankfurter Buchmesse

Frankfurter Buchmesse is the international publishing industry’s biggest trade fair – with over 7,500 exhibitors from 109 countries, around 285,000 visitors, over 4,000 events and some 10,000 accredited journalists and bloggers in attendance. It is the most important international marketplace for content – from novels and children’s books to academic databases and stories for films, games and virtual reality experiences. Publishing professionals from around the world meet here with partners from the technology sector and from related creative and cultural industries, sparking new partnerships and business models. A strong conference programme ensures that Frankfurter Buchmesse is a major source of inspiration for content experts from around the world. Since 1976, the book fair has featured an annual Guest of Honour country, which showcases its book market, literature and culture to attendees in a variety of ways. Frankfurter Buchmesse organises the participation of German publishers at around 20 international book fairs and hosts trade events throughout the year in major international markets. Frankfurter Buchmesse is a subsidiary of the Börsenverein des Deutschen Buchhandels (German Publishers & Booksellers Association). https://www.buchmesse.de/en(opens in a new window)

Contact for the media:

Press & Corporate Communication, Frankfurter Buchmesse
Katja Böhne, Vice President Marketing & Communications, Phone: +49 (0) 69 2102-138(opens in a new window), press@buchmesse.de(opens in a new window)
Kathrin Grün, Head of Communications, Phone: +49 (0) 69 2102-170(opens in a new window), gruen@buchmesse.de(opens in a new window)