WIPO’s member states determine the direction, budget and activities of the Organization through the decision-making bodies. We currently have 193 member states.
To become a member, a state must deposit an instrument of ratification or accession with the Director General. The WIPO Convention provides that membership is open to any state that is:
- a member of the Paris Union for the Protection of Industrial Property, or member of the Berne Union for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works; or
- a member of the United Nations, or of any of the United Nations' Specialized Agencies, or of the International Atomic Energy Agency, or that is a party to the Statute of the International Court of Justice; or
- invited by the WIPO General Assembly to become a member state of the Organization.
