Borghildur Erlingsdóttir, Director General
Director General’s Address
30 years of the Icelandic Intellectual Property Office
In 2021, the Icelandic Intellectual Property Office celebrated an important milestone. In July 1991, the Institution began operations as the Icelandic Patent Office. The history of the Icelandic Intellectual Property Office is a story of innovation and change in industry in Iceland for the past 30 years. During this time, the growing emphasis on innovation and the development of industry has meant that intellectual property and intellectual property rights have become more important than ever. That is not only thanks to Iceland being a party to a number of important international treaties, but also the government’s increased emphasis on innovation and the development of industry. Today, a strong intellectual property industry is the foundation of prosperity and value creation in Iceland.
As we look back on the shared history of the old Icelandic Patent Office and theIcelandic Intellectual Property Office, we can see that Icelandic industry, society and business have changed dramatically. Innovation is now central to how we live, work and create goods and jobs. The role of intellectual property in this process is clear: Intellectual property plays a pivotal role in turning an idea into reality. They create value which is vital to protect. Therefore, intellectual property is now effectively the currency of successful innovation.
The world is at a crossroads. Climate change is threatening ecosystems and living conditions in many parts of the world, and the last two years have shown us how unpredictable the world can be. The next few years will be crucial in dealing with these challenges. The basis for society to become more sustainable, smarter and more environmentally friendly is innovation and new technological solutions. The theme of the anniversary conference of the ISIPO in November, i.e. the relationship between intellectual property rights, innovation and sustainability, was therefore appropriate. There, some of Iceland's main innovative companies shared their stories on how they have made use of intellectual property protection to get their ideas off the ground and turn them into practical and sought-after solutions. We have taken steps in recent years towards increased sustainability in our operations. In the updated policy that was published this year and is valid until the end of 2022, one of the focus areas is to promote sustainable and environmentally friendly operations. We have already completed the implementation of the Environmental Agency's third Green Step and the next ones are underway. Our climate policy also states that we plan to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 40% by 2030. With this, we want to have a positive impact on the local community and set a positive example for our international partners.
I am very proud of the work we have carried out this year to make our workplace greener and more dynamic. A revised strategy and a new organisational chart, increased emphasis on teamwork and equal pay certification are examples of actions aimed at increasing job satisfaction, performance, and collaboration within the organisation. We have also taken advantage of the special circumstances following COVID-19 to rethink and improve our services. One of the main priorities in the updated policy is the digital Intellectual Property Office, which aims to improve electronic services and increase internal efficiency. This includes a thorough review of our external services and application processes and the development of a new website, but also internal development aimed at streamlining and documenting work processes. Our goal is clear: To make the Intellectual Property Office a leading organisation in providing high-quality services to innovation companies and people in Iceland.
