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G7 virtual meeting on intellectual property

Heads of IP offices of the major economies talked about healthcare, future technologies and the enforcement of IP rights – DPMA President informed about AI inventions and new duties of office

At a virtual meeting of the G7 countries, the President of the German Patent and Trade Mark Office, Cornelia Rudloff-Schäffer, met the heads of the other IP offices and the Director General of the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO), Daren Tang. The meeting, also attended by representatives of the Federal Ministry of Justice and Consumer Protection (Bundesministerium der Justiz und für Verbraucherschutz), discussed, among other topics, intellectual property in healthcare and future technologies as well as the enforcement of IP rights and cooperation with and under the umbrella of WIPO. Besides Germany, the group of the world’s largest economies includes the United States, Japan, Canada, Great Britain, France and Italy.

Supporting the development of future technologies

In a common statement, the heads of IP offices recognised, among other things, the importance of the global IP system for the development of and access to safe, effective and affordable vaccines and drugs, arguing for flexibility within this system in order to support the development of future technologies.

Furthermore, the participants agreed on improving the global system for the enforcement of IP rights. The heads of IP offices additionally emphasised their support for WIPO’s endeavours to promote innovation and creativity worldwide. They expressly welcomed initiatives to highlight the importance of intellectual property for the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

At the meeting, DPMA President Rudloff-Schäffer talked to her international counterparts about the growing importance of inventions relating to artificial intelligence, noting that the number of patent applications in this field filed with the DPMA increased by nearly 40% to about 2,200 in 2020.

In addition, she informed the heads of IP offices about the DPMA’s new statutory duty to provide industry and the general public with comprehensive information on the protection of innovations, pointing out that the DPMA would assume a central role as coordinator and point of contact. The DPMA President explained that these public relations activities would focus on topics such as product piracy and the enforcement of IP rights, which were meant to benefit mainly small and medium-sized enterprises and start-ups.

Pictures: iStock.com/vector

Last updated: 26 May 2023