Caroline Schwab
Program Officer, Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises
World Intellectual Property Organization (Geneva, Switzerland)

Caroline Schwab has been employed by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) since June 1981 until today (as Swiss permanent international functionary of WIPO), starting as Computer Program Assistant-Analyst at the Trademark Division.

She had been trained in her previous career as Assistant-officer in a computer program analysis for an Aeronautic Development program for Air Craft, under IBM and Mc. Donald Douglas (707 Boeings development) companies, from 1978 to 1980.

From 1982 to 1997, Mrs. Schwab was nominated as Examiner on international classifications and process at the WIPO departments dealing with Patents, Trademarks, Industrial Designs, and was responsible of the Article 6ter (protection of national flags and symbols) and for the refusal notifications of trademarks to the national and regional IP Offices (Member states).

From 1997 to 2003, she developed a new WIPO program. She started as Assistant and later became Program Officer of the WIPO Marketing and Distribution Section. She launched the 1 st main public WIPO information center, a bookstore (creating WIPO souvenirs), an E-bookshop (to sell IP publications and CDs on-line). Together with the WIPO outreach program's team, she proposed and created IP traveling exhibitions with Major Brands, assisted WIPO in the internal and external coordination to create and launch his actual website, proposed and created new interactive and user-friendly publications (books, CDs and DVDs) as well as the World IP Day concept.

She proposed and worked on modern ways to demystify the Intellectual Property role and legal system to the large public, creating new audiovisual films on IP use and laws, launched new information services on-line with the PCT, the Madrid Express.

During this mandate, she proposed and developed new ways to inform (through radio, TV, World Fairs, Internet, publications and games) the public about copyrights and IP assets for applicants, students, IP users and consumers and promoted through the same networks, the WIPO's mission, activities and services as well as the IP Offices and NGOs work on IP laws and issues around the world.

In 2004 (until 2007), she joined the Innovation Promotion team and then worked during 3 years, at the Small and Medium-Sized Enterprise Division to train and assist African, Asian, Latin American, Eastern Countries and least developed countries as well as developed countries on the best practices for SMEs economic development through the IP right and legal system that all governments, entrepreneurs, creators and industries shall use for a stronger economic development and innovation.

In April 2007, she joined the new Coordination Sector for External Relation with the industry, the civil society and the private sector.

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