On the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the national press of Azerbaijan a meeting was held with representatives of the leading media organizations of our country at the Intellectual Property Agency on July 21, 2025.

Speaking at the opening of the event, Kamran Imanov, Chairman of the Board of the Intellectual Property Agency, sincerely congratulated the guests on the 150th anniversary of the Azerbaijani national press.

He noted that on July 22, 1875, the prominent Azerbaijani publicist, educator, enlightener-democrat and natural scientist Hasan bey Zardabi began publishing the "Ekinchi" newspaper in the native (Turkish) language, laying the foundation for the national press of Azerbaijan, and stated that today's press and media society of Azerbaijan are the fruits of this sowing.

Professor Kamran Imanov noted that the reforms carried out under the leadership of the National Leader Heydar Aliyev, who returned to power at the request of the people in 1993, created a reliable foundation for the establishment of freedom of speech and information, pluralism of ideas, and other democratic values in our country.

"As a result of the independent political course pursued resolutely and consistently by President Ilham Aliyev, the dynamic development of our country has been ensured, and the strategic tasks ahead have been successfully implemented. During the Patriotic War, our media set an example of true patriotism and solidarity, made special efforts to convey our true voice to the world community, and expose the false information of the enemy and its supporters," the Chairman of the Agency emphasized.

Professor Kamran Imanov pointed out that the media is in close contact with intellectual property, which is especially evident in copyright.

The head of the agency also noted that, according to experts, only about 30 percent of online publications in the world actually create the latest news, while the remaining 70 percent simply copy them. The rights of online publications are being violated online by online publications themselves.

According to experts, the most expensive part of news agencies is the news base, the "news format," as this work requires a lot of reporters and infrastructure. This is also the hard work of journalists, who are information collectors. It was noted that over the past 15 years, investments in intangible assets, which form the basis of intellectual property, have increased three times compared to tangible assets. As a result, it reached 7 trillion US dollars by 2024. In fact, one-third of patents granted worldwide are related to digital technologies and patents based on generative artificial intelligence are showing strong growth. As a result innovations evolve, change and the industry merges with innovations. Moreover, the distinction between hardware and software is blurred. However, respect for books and copyright does not diminish. Thus, the number of books published and deposited in national depositories worldwide is close to 2.5 million.

The Chairman of the Board also briefed the media about the measures taken to improve the infrastructure at the Intellectual Property Agency and prevent negative situations. He said that at the Agency has created a digital information system called "Open Target for Patents and Trademarks" (PANAH), which operates 24/7. "This system ensures transparency and accessibility to information. It is possible to send a claim document to the Agency through PANAH at any time and from any place," the head of the Agency noted. Noting that "Open Registries" have been created at the Agency to increase awareness of inventions, utility models, industrial designs, trademarks and geographical indications, Professor Kamran Imanov emphasized that anyone can access the "Open Registries" without hindrance and without payment: "Also, a person who wants to obtain a patent or register a trademark can obtain information about patents and trademarks."

According to the head of the agency, the Call Center which was established as one of the infrastructure projects, received more than 25 thousand applications in 2024. The number of applications received during the first 6 months of 2025 exceeded 11 thousand.

The meeting also noted that the 66th meeting of the Assemblies of the Member States of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) was held in Geneva from July 8 to 17.

Following informal consultations in the Coordination Committee and the Executive Committee of the Paris and Berne Unions, 40 states were elected as permanent members of the Berne Union Executive Committee.

Azerbaijan is among them. Azerbaijan joined the WIPO Paris Convention in 1995 and the Bern Convention in 1998.

It was noted that Azerbaijan is also one of the 83 states elected as permanent members of the WIPO Coordination Committee out of 194 countries until the close of the next session of the General Assembly in 2027.

He was also elected a member of the Azerbaijan Program and Budget Committee.

In the elections of officials of the WIPO Assemblies held on July 17, the Chairman of the Board of the Azerbaijan Intellectual Property Agency was elected Chairman of the WIPO Copyright Treaty Assembly, where 118 member states are represented.

Then the media representatives visited the Agency's Republican Scientific and Technical Library. They were informed about the Library's holdings and the publications stored there. It was noted that the Library also preserves publications from the 19th century.

The media representatives then visited the Agency's Call Center. They were also shown the working principle of the PANAH system.