Francis Gurry to be new UN patent chief

Francis Gurry is expected to be the new head of the World Intellectual Property Organization. Gurry, who is now a deputy director-general at WIPO from Australia, is understood to have won a nail-biting election on Tuesday to replace the agency's controversial head, Kamil Idris.

Known for his expertise on patent laws, Gurry trounced 14 other candidates in an election that went to the third round. Apparently, he defeated his nearest rival Graca Aranha from Brazil by one vote in the third round while Pakistan's Geneva Ambassador Masood Khan remained in the third place.

The General Assembly of WIPO will have to approve Gurry's name when it meets from September 22-30. The selection was forced after the current WIPO chief, a Sudanese national, was forced to resign following several charges against his administration.