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WIPO General Assembly 2024: DPMA strengthens cooperation with partner offices

DPMA President Eva Schewior and DPMA Vice-President Dr Maria Skottke-Klein meet the heads of the IP offices of Canada, the United Kingdom, Japan, China and the Republic of Korea as well as WIPO Director General Daren Tang in Geneva - President Schewior: "Strengthen international cooperation, especially in difficult economic times!"

Press release from 15 July 2024

Geneva. At this year's General Assembly of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) in Geneva (9 to 17 July), the German Patent and Trade Mark Office (DPMA) and several international partner offices agreed to intensify their cooperation. "We are convinced that we must further intensify international cooperation for the protection of intellectual property, especially in economically difficult times," said DPMA President Eva Schewior. "With this cooperation, we, as the largest patent office in Europe and the fifth largest in the world, are assuming responsibility for the further development of the international IP system in the interests of our customers."

At the margins of the General Assembly, Eva Schewior and DPMA Vice-President Dr Maria Skottke-Klein met with the heads of the IP offices of Canada, the Republic of Korea, the United Kingdom, China and Japan as well as with WIPO Director General Daren Tang for top-level meetings. All major patent offices face similar challenges, such as the modernisation of IT systems. Closer cooperation and an intensive exchange, particularly in this area, was the topic of almost all discussions.

The DPMA agreed with the leadership of the Canadian Intellectual Property Office (CIPO) to discuss the CIPO's "Green Patents" project - an accelerated examination without additional costs for the applicant. The talks also focussed on application trends at both offices.

The meeting with the Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO) focussed on an agreement to intensify cooperation. Both offices intend to sign the agreement in the near future. Among other things, the exchange of patent examiners is to be resumed. The KIPO also provided information on various initiatives.

Talks with the United Kingdom Intellectual Property Office (UKIPO) also focussed on an agreement on closer cooperation. They also centred on the mutual development of application figures, the multilateral commitment of both offices and the continuation of the very successful exchange on the topic of quality.

The DPMA leadership also held talks with the management of the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA). Here, too, the focus was on resuming the exchange of patent examiners. The Chinese side provided information on legal innovations relating to intellectual property in China. Both sides also discussed the use of artificial intelligence in IP examination.

The DPMA also agreed to continue the exchange of examiners with the Japan Patent Office (JPO). The heads of the offices also exchanged views on measures to promote start-ups and small and medium-sized enterprises. Both offices would like to have a more intensive dialogue on this topic and are examining possibilities for cooperation.

At the meeting with WIPO Director General Daren Tang, topics of global significance were discussed, such as the role of patents in vaccine production in developing countries and the importance of AI in the medical field for the ageing world population. Among other things, WIPO also encouraged a close exchange between patent offices in the area of digitalisation of IP procedures.

The German Patent and Trade Mark Office

Inventiveness and creativity need effective protection. The DPMA is the German centre of expertise for all intellectual property rights – patents, utility models, trade marks and designs. As the largest national patent office in Europe and the fifth largest national patent office in the world, our office stands for the future of Germany as a country of inventors in a globalised economy. Its staff of just under 2,800 at three locations – Munich, Jena and Berlin – provide services to inventors and companies. They implement federal innovation strategies and develop the national, European and international protection systems further.

Bilder: DPMA

Last updated: 13 September 2024