Justice Prathiba M. Singh appointed Chair of WIPO’s ABJ!

Justice Prathiba M. Singh

On 20^th October, Justice Prathiba M. Singh of the Delhi High Court was appointed as the Chair of the 10-member Advisory Board of Judges (‘ABJ’) of the World Intellectual Property Organization(‘WIPO’). Justice Singh’s tenure is supposed to last for two years (2025-27) where she will be serving as in her personal capacity and not as a representative of India. 

According to WIPO website, the ABJ plays a key role in advising and guiding WIPO’s Judicial Institute. It is not an adjudicatory body bur rather an advisory body to help WIPO in building consistency and promote best practices among IP judiciaries globally. The Judicial Institute   undertakes various initiatives to this end- Transnational Judicial Dialogue, WIPO Judges Forum, Master Class on IP Adjudication, Webinars for Judges and various publications and resources for Judiciaries. (here, here, here) Apart from this, the institute also offers capacity building initiatives for Judges to increase knowledge and skills of Judges in IP. 

Given that the members of ABJ consist of broad geographical and technical areas, its aim is not only to maintain consistency but also allow diverse viewpoints into shaping judicial dialogue on Global IP. Justice Singh, apart from ABJ, is also the co-chair of WHO’s committee on “Regulatory considerations on artificial intelligence for Health” and has previously co-authored the Indian chapter in WIPO’s International Guide to Patent Case Management for Judges.  One hopes that Justice Singh, given her immense experience in IP, first as a lawyer and later as a Judge and head of the IPD at DHC, brings the oft neglected voice of the Global South to shaping IP landscape.

We wish Justice Singh the very best!