In light of their particular role and position, international organizations have long benefited from specific privileges and immunities. Most notably, it is usually understood that these organizations enjoy jurisdictional immunity and that their premises are inviolable, while some privileges and immunities have been extended to their staff. Those privileges and immunities, however, are not absolute and can be curtailed, or waived, under certain circumstances. As a result, not only may the practice regarding privileges and immunities vary from one organization or jurisdiction to another, but the precise scope of said privileges and immunities could be challenged. The World Intellectual Property Organization (‘wipo’) benefits from a comprehensive protection in that respect, based either on the 1947 Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the Specialized Agencies or bilateral agreements, complemented by relevant domestic provisions. Nonetheless, the Organization rarely had to exercise them so far. In fact, it seems that wipo’s policy and related practice with regards to potential claims or claimants, rather than an intricate web of privileges and immunities provisions, has kept the Organization out of the courts.
