By ELIANE ENGELER
Associated Press

GENEVA - The U.N. patent agency appointed an Australian lawyer as its new director-general Monday, replacing the agency's embattled former Sudanese chief, who stepped down amid questions over his integrity.

The World Intellectual Property Organization hopes Francis Gurry can help restore confidence in the agency after former head Kamil Idris agreed to Western demands that he resign during his second term.

The issue led to a deep division within WIPO, as Western governments blocked agency funding talks until Idris agreed to go, while developing nations supported Idris and blocked U.N. investigation into his activities.

Gurry's appointment holds "great promise for WIPO and all who are dedicated to its success and hope that the divisions of the past can be left behind," U.S. Ambassador Warren Tichenor said.

Gurry - who takes office Oct. 1 - is a long-serving agency official credited with setting up its Internet domain-name mediation service, which aims to stop "cyber squatting."

Gurry, 57, said he plans to carry out a thorough reorganization of the agency, which is viewed as increasingly important within the U.N. system because of the growing economic value countries place on copyrights, patents and other means of protecting intellectual property. The agency also acts as the world's top court in disputes over who has the right to use Web addresses.

But for now, Gurry said, the agency must urgently address soaring demand for patents, with some 3.5 million applications pending worldwide.

"Patent offices are choking on demand and struggling to perform in a manner that is timely enough" for the economy, Gurry told the agency's 184-nation general assembly.

He suggested that a solution could be based on the Patent Cooperation Treaty, overseen by WIPO. For a flat fee of about $1,300, companies can file a request for patent protection in any of the 139 countries that subscribe to WIPO'S patent system - avoiding the need to make individual filings in each country.

Another priority, Gurry said, was the agency's development agenda, aimed at making it easier for poorer countries to protect their inventions.

The agency must reflect "on the best means of making intellectual-property work to the advantage of all countries, regardless of their level of development," Gurry said, suggesting that technological and scientific information from the patent system could be made available through databases accessible to research institutions and universities in poor countries.

The development issue rose to the forefront during last year's showdown over Idris, as Western governments blocked talks on increasing the agency's aid budget.

An internal audit had revealed that Idris claimed his birth date was 1945, which helped him land the WIPO job and win promotions. He later changed it to 1954 in a switch that could enhance his retirement benefits. His 1982 application also listed among his qualifications a master's degree in international law from Ohio University, but a university spokeswoman has said he obtained a master of arts in African studies.

Western governments said they hoped Gurry can restore confidence in the agency.

Many WIPO member countries also have been calling for more efficiency in the agency's secretariat after an external audit report last year described staff as having low morale and taking unreasonable amounts of sick leave.