The Substantive Patent Law Treaty: The Dangers of Global Patent Policy Harmonization. Negotiations at the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) to draw up a Substantive Patent Law Treaty have been bogged down by differences among WIPO member states over the scope and orientation of the agreement. WIPO convened an open forum in Geneva in March 2006 to discuss the major issues. In this compilation of articles on the WIPO forum, Shashikant reports that many of the participating experts cautioned against global harmonisation of patent laws based on the loose patentability criteria and strict protection standards of the developed countries.