President’s Message
Reinier Wijnstra was elected as president on the UNION-IP Congress 2024 in Stockholm.
Dear reader,
Thank you for visiting our website and looking for this message from the President. I am honoured and happy to fulfil that role for a period of three years. UNION-IP is very close to my heart, because it has made me feel welcome in the world of IP since I became a member, and has enabled me to learn and contribute that world in a meaningful way.
The world of IP consists of people and a system. The people are most important for me, because the system is designed for them: consumers, who deserve to know what the origin of products and services is, creative people, who deserve to be rewarded for their creative works and designs, and inventors, who deserve to be rewarded for their inspiration and perspiration
The system itself is based on laws and conventions, regulations and rules, official offices and tribunals and professional organisations. While all this has been designed to serve the people, it also has its own dynamics, sometimes unwanted, as any system.
IP professionals are part of the system, but are also people. I strongly believe that it is our duty to make sure that the system delivers its goals. This means not only that we serve the interest of consumers, creative people, and inventors, but also that we should try to improve the system, and minimize the unwanted dynamics. UNION-IP has done so since its beginning, and continues to do so.
UNION-IP is an association of European IP professionals. Our European identity not only supports our voice in contacts with European institutes, it also enables us to meet in person while minimizing travel. These physical meetings contribute to the quality of our work, and of our personal relationships which quite often result in professional friendships for life. It is one of my main objectives as President, that all IP professionals feel welcome, regardless of age, gender, and background, just as I felt welcome when I became a member. Feel free to contact me, a member of our Bureau, or indeed any member to that end, if you are interested in becoming a member. If you already are a member, I recommend you to take part in one of our working commissions. I have done so for the past 15+ years, and know how rewarding it is to actively contribute to the improvement of the IP system. Being active in a commission will also enable you to benefit most from your membership by expanding your network and knowledge.
Looking forward to seeing you soon at one of our many events!
Reinier Wijnstra
President of UNION-IP
Dear reader,
Thank you for visiting our website and looking for this message from the President. I am honoured and happy to fulfil that role for a period of three years. UNION-IP is very close to my heart, because it has made me feel welcome in the world of IP since I became a member, and has enabled me to learn and contribute that world in a meaningful way.
The world of IP consists of people and a system. The people are most important for me, because the system is designed for them: consumers, who deserve to know what the origin of products and services is, creative people, who deserve to be rewarded for their creative works and designs, and inventors, who deserve to be rewarded for their inspiration and perspiration
The system itself is based on laws and conventions, regulations and rules, official offices and tribunals and professional organisations. While all this has been designed to serve the people, it also has its own dynamics, sometimes unwanted, as any system.
IP professionals are part of the system, but are also people. I strongly believe that it is our duty to make sure that the system delivers its goals. This means not only that we serve the interest of consumers, creative people, and inventors, but also that we should try to improve the system, and minimize the unwanted dynamics. UNION-IP has done so since its beginning, and continues to do so.
UNION-IP is an association of European IP professionals. Our European identity not only supports our voice in contacts with European institutes,
it also enables us to meet in person while minimizing travel. These physical meetings contribute to the quality of our work, and of our personal relationships which quite often result in professional friendships for life. It is one of my main objectives as President, that all IP professionals feel welcome, regardless of age, gender, and background, just as I felt welcome when I became a member. Feel free to contact me, a member of our Bureau, or indeed any member to that end, if you are interested in becoming a member. If you already are a member, I recommend you to take part in one of our working commissions. I have done so for the past 15+ years, and know how rewarding it is to actively contribute to the improvement of the IP system. Being active in a commission will also enable you to benefit most from your membership by expanding your network and knowledge.
Looking forward to seeing you soon at one of our many events!
Reinier Wijnstra
President of UNION-IP