IP5 Offices Reinforce Partnership with IP5 Industry on Sustainability

On 9 June 2022, the IP5 Heads of Office held its 15th annual meeting via video conference. The "IP5", comprising the European Patent Office (EPO), the Japan Patent Office (JPO), the Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO), the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA), and the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), are the five largest IP offices in the world accounting for around 85% of all patent applications filed worldwide.

The meeting was chaired by EPO president António Campinos, and attended by JPO commissioner Mori Kiyoshi, KIPO commissioner Lee Insil, CNIPA commissioner Shen Changyu, and USPTO director Kathi Vidal. Lisa Jorgenson, deputy director of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), attended the meeting as an observer.

During the meeting, cooperation strategies were discussed and progress of the past year reviewed. Among the topics discussed were the Global Dossier/Alerting, which covers patent prosecution changes in the five offices; the IP5 NET/AI Roadmap, for optimising internal processes at the IP5 through the use of new emerging technologies and AI; and IP5 PCT Collaborative Search and Examination. The IP5 offices also reached consensus on their long-term cooperation in sustainable development, and considered setting up a special task group to coordinate efforts on this agenda.

The IP5 meeting was preceded by a virtual meeting on 8 June between heads of the IP5 and industry associations of the IP5 regions ("IP5 Industry"). This year marked the tenth anniversary of industry involvement in IP5 cooperation through the IP5 Industry. The participants at the meeting discussed IP's role in supporting the agenda of the IP5, and agreed to reinforce partnership to achieve future sustainable development objectives.

The next annual meeting of the IP5 Heads of Office will be hosted by the USPTO.