PRESS CONFERENCE OF WEDNESDAY, 8 th APRIL 2015 AT THE WORLD INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY ORGANIZATION (WIPO) Speech by Mr. Jean-Luc VINCENT, founder and president In the presence of Mr. John SANDAGE, deputy general director of WIPO 43 rd INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITION OF INVENTIONS OF GENEVA PALEXPO 15 th 19 th April 2015 Ladies and Gentlemen, In the name of the Organizing Committee, of the representatives of our Exhibition abroad and of our exhibitors, I sincerely thank you for your presence today, which proves your constant interest in our exhibition. We have the pleasure today of continuing the well-established tradition of meeting here, at the headquarters of the World Intellectual Property Organization, to introduce the 43 rd International Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva which is to take place from the 15 th to the 19 th April in Hall 7 of Palexpo. If our exhibition is the most important in the world, as far as the number of its exhibitors, the number of countries represented and the number of its visitors goes, it is certainly thanks to your invaluable cooperation. Last year, we welcomed 600 of your colleagues from the written, spoken and broadcast press from the whole world and counted more than 4'000 press articles and radio and television programmes in more than 30 countries and I am extremely grateful. Allow me to also thank the authorities which grant us their patronage: the Federal Council of the Swiss Confederation the Council of State of the Republic and Canton of Geneva the administrative Council of the City of Geneva the World Intellectual Property Organization WIPO, and I would like to thank here its vice director general, Mr. John SANDAGE. Your presence here is proof of the privileged relationship we enjoy with WIPO. Would you please transmit our profound gratitude and thanks to your Director general, Mr. Francis Gurry. This 43 rd International Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva will contain 3 different sectors. The first is organised jointly by the Federal Institute of Intellectual Property and WIPO. A stand will be host to 7 offices and institutes from 6 countries. Thus, visitors and exhibitors will be able to learn all about methods of protection in intellectual property. The second sector, to satisfy our visitors, is a commercial sector which will show new, original products to be bought directly on 38 stands. Last of all, the Exhibition of Inventions itself. I am sure that no other Exhibition is as difficult to organize as ours. In fact, as soon as the last one closed, we had to find new exhibitors and new inventions. The difficulty in gathering together so many inventors, institutes, universities and innovating companies from all 5 continents however, makes it possible for us to announce to you that we will be presenting only new items, never seen before.
- 2 - For 5 days, Geneva will be without doubt the capital of invention and the world's largest meeting place for innovation, for nowhere else exists an Exhibition where it is possible to find such a great concentration of inventions in all areas of human activity. With 752 exhibitors from 48 countries, the 43 rd International Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva is the most important event dedicated to innovation and to new products. 24% of these are independent inventors and researchers and 76% are inventors from companies, research institutes and universities. 45% of the inventions shown are from Europe, 47% from Asia and the Middle East and 8% from other continents. A thousand completely new innovations to discover in an exhibition area of 8'900m2. By order of importance, the countries the best represented this year are: China, Thailand, Poland, Iran, Romania, Russia, Korea, France, Switzerland, Egypt, Germany, Saudi Arabia, Italy, Croatia, Malaysia, Moldova, etc. Six new countries are to participate this year. Azerbaijan, Afghanistan, Benin, Montenegro, Malta and Paraguay. Their presence contributes to the universal nature of the Geneva event. The categories in which there are the greatest number of inventions are: medicine and health care, electronics and computer sciences, mechanics and industrial processes, the protection of the environment and energy, security, construction and civil engineering, methods of transport, agriculture and gardening, sports and leisure, practical novelties, sanitation and domestic science. It is necessary to remind you here of the regulations of our exhibition which stipulate that an invention may be exhibited here in Geneva only once and must be protected by intellectual property rights. These criteria of selection constitute constraints, but give the visitors the guarantee that they will discover only new inventions and products. 60'000 visitors are expected of whom 42% are industrialists, distributors and businessmen, coming from all over the world to find inventions and new products to market. A questionnaire given to exhibitors shows that 98% are ready to recommend our Exhibition. Furthermore, licences were negotiated for a total amount in excess of 45 million. These figures seem very high to us and we were the first to be surprised. But two fundamental reasons explain this success. First of all, the old idea that the invention which will make a profit for the company should emerge from its own technical department, is being abandoned. The rhythm of innovation is accelerating and the competition is out there, inciting companies to buy inventions from the outside. Furthermore, the lifespan of the products and techniques we use today is now a maximum of three years. The second reason is that for businessmen, the Stock Exchange does not give them the same satisfaction as it used to. Many now prefer to invest in inventions they find promising. Each year, we see concrete examples of visitors who come to our Exhibition with a curious attitude and fall in love with an invention. They talk to the inventor and decide to support him/her financially in order to market the invention. We know of several who do not regret their decision. With the arrival of the Web, futurologists announced the death of exhibitions. After 20 years of unbridled development of Internet, it is evident that they are still alive and kicking. Technology will never replace human contact.
- 3 - Within our Exhibition, there is no tension stemming from political or religious opinions. Our exhibitors from 48 countries talk of inventions, whether they come from China, from Russia, from Ukraine, from Israel or from Iran. So this is a unique exhibition which must be visited. The public s interest will be aroused when they discover inventions in all walks of human life. Young people will be able to develop their inventive spirit and professional visitors will do excellent business. You would probably like me to tell you today which are the best inventions of the exhibition and especially those which will win one of the 54 special prizes. We would like to mention that we discover the inventions ourselves through the descriptions which the exhibitors send us when they register and which we reproduce in the Official Catalogue. So you will surely understand that it is impossible and premature to say today which are the most remarkable inventions. But what is a good invention? First of all, it must correspond to the criteria of obtaining a patent: newness and technical performance. Then it must be able to be marketed and not too much ahead of its time. I would say that the best inventions are those created by people who in fact are active in another field. They bring a fresh, new, original approach. However, among many others, we will be able to discover this year: a device integrated into a contact lense which revolutionises management of glaucoma. There are several wheelchairs for the handicapped: one is cross-country and can go up and down stairs. Another can be controlled with movements of the head. A completely new microlight by the Swiss man, Xavier Rosset, is to attempt a tour of the earth for the first time. Then there is the smart syringe for preparing and injecting medecine oneself. A process using technology of the future to manage different devices used in the home. A manual multi-use compactor for household waste. A hydrogen-fuelled battery with condensed matter. A log for home fires made from recycled coffee grounds. Between inventions from companies, universities, State ministries and those created by private inventors, the areas of activity they cover are extremely different, especially as, coming from 48 countries, the problems they are to resolve are not the same. My thanks go to the 85 members of our International Jury who have the arduous task of examining each invention and of telling us which are the best inventions on Friday, the 17 th April at 7.15 p.m. during the prize-giving ceremony. Here, I would also like to thank the 46 authorities, private, national and international organisms, which award the numerous prestigious prizes to the authors of the best inventions in this 43 rd Exhibition. These prizes which are publicised by the press, allow their winners to be recognised immediately at their true value and also make our Exhibition internationally renowned. May I remind you of the "Prize of the Public", which motivates our visitors as we ask them to vote for the most popular invention, and of the "International Press Prize", awarded by the votes of the journalists. Organizing each year an exhibition at which all the inventions shown are absolutely new represents an enormous amount of work. We could not achieve this result without your help and that of our representatives abroad. Since the first Exhibition, we have devoted our activities to the promotion of invention and our experience has shown us that the author of an invention has just one preoccupation: the commercialisation of his invention. We often hear that it is necessary to innovate in order to lead a better life or to survive. Unfortunately, we have to admit that a large number of inventors do not wish to take the
- 4 - difficult road to invention for two main reasons. The first is the fear of being taken for an "illuminated". In fact, this intellectual reflex does exist, and is a strong brake for many researchers. To those people who systematically deride inventors and inventions, we ask them to stop. However, it is the inventor who is behind any new product, all new technology. Whether he be employed or independent, a professional researcher or an amateur, it does not really matter. Whether an invention be discovered thanks to pure research or as an accident, it is not important. What counts is that innovative creativity should contribute to the progression of our wellbeing, our jobs and our economy. This is indispensable during periods of economic crisis. The second reason resides in the difficulty of making known an invention in order to market it. Not so long ago, it was enough to propose it to companies in the same region or country to know what the future would hold. Today, these personal approaches are out of date. The companies which may be interested are now situated all over the world. This is why an international meeting point between inventors showing their inventions and manufacturers, distributors and investors looking for new products, is necessary. It allows the inventions to be marketed fast and efficiently, in the interests of all. Proof of this is that each year, more than 45% of the inventions exhibited at our exhibition are the object of licensing contracts. In 43 years, we have seen thousands of inventions marketed thanks to our Exhibition. These success stories are the basis of our reputation. For example, the vehicle which can scan airplanes in order to discover smuggled goods, drugs or weapons. This extraordinary invention presented by a gentleman from Romania won the Grand Prix of our Exhibition in 2013. This year, just two years later, a factory is being built in Saint-Imier, in Switzerland, to manufacture this invention. This is a perfect example of an invention which will create jobs and make money. A few months ago, a large delegation of industrialists went to Hong Kong in order to find opportunities for their companies. How surprised they were to discover that what they saw there had already won a certificate from the Geneva Exhibition! We tend to travel a long way to find what we have been overlooking at home. Of course, an invention is not always successful. I am thinking here of the inventor who exhibited medecine to treat malaria, five years ago. Tests on more than 700 people showed how effective it was. But unfortunately, for political and personal reasons, it is not yet on the market and malaria still kills. I hope that everyone has now understood that the only inexhaustible raw material that Man has at his disposal is his little grey cells. We must defend this and place it in evidence. Therefore it is necessary for our universities, companies and inventors to be able to benefit from a privileged forum in which they can make fruitful contacts on an international level. Invention is constantly changing. The period when researchers came up with ideas 20 years before their time is well and truly over. Today, inventors are better integrated and the creations they propose correspond to our needs, so they can be marketed much faster. Even if some inventions have difficulty being recognised maybe they are ahead of their times or maybe they are disturbing in 1972 during our Exhibition, the first exhaust pipe for cars equipped with a catalyser was presented. Everybody laughed it off. And what about the
- 5 - different devices for protecting ourselves from the harmful waves emitted by mobile phones and WiFi networks? Must we wait 30 years until the dangerous nature of these waves is proved, as it was the case with asbestos or cigarettes? Half the products we will be using in 10 years have still to be invented. May those who invent them meet those who will market them and may everyone have the success they deserve. I would like to thank you in advance for the support you will bring to them. With your articles and broadcasts, you contribute directly to the success of our Exhibition and as well, you attract the visitors that all our exhibitors, gathered here from 45 countries, expect and I am extremely grateful. To conclude, let s remember that in times of crisis all heads of State, without exception, end their speeches inviting us to invent in order to save our jobs, our companies and our prosperity and by telling us that innovation is the key to success. I am particularly happy about this, since from the first Exhibition until now, 43 years on, I have ended my speeches in the same way. To all those who have worked towards the success of this Exhibition, in Switzerland and abroad, not forgetting my faithful co-workers, I would like to say how grateful I am and to thank them. ============ www.inventions-geneva.ch