The 14th IP5 Heads of Offices Meeting Held

2022/08/03

 

From June 22-23, 2021, the 14th IP5 Heads of Offices Meeting was held via video conference, hosted by the Japan Patent Office (JPO) in rotation. The CNIPA Commissioner Shen Changyu led a delegation to attend the meeting.

 

The JPO Commissioner Kasutani Toshihide presided over the meeting. The European Patent Office (EPO) President António Campinos, Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO) Commissioner Kim Yongrae and United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) Director Drew Hirschfeld also led delegations to participate in the meeting. Lisa Jorgensen, Deputy Director General of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), attended the meeting as an observer.

 

The meeting adopted the 2020 Joint Statement of the IP5 Offices. The joint statement emphasized that the IP plays an essential role in stimulating innovation to help overcome COVID-19 and boost economic recovery. The heads of the IP5 offices acknowledged the necessity of taking a long-term perspective on IPRs and the integral role that IPRs play in addressing social challenges.

 

The IP5 offices exchanged insights into their respective initiatives to help address social challenges through the use of IPRs. Shen Changyu introduced China's experience in using IPRs to promote economic and social development in China. Taking "two golden leaves" in Sangzhi County, Hunan Province as an example, he introduced to the participants the successful model of exploring the use of IPRs to support targeted poverty alleviation, and demonstrated the unique role played by IPRs in helping poverty reduction.

 

The heads of the IP5 offices also exchanged views on various areas of future IP5 cooperation in the post COVID-19 era and on related feedback from industries. Shen Changyu pointed out that since the digital transformation has accelerated around the world due to the pandemic, users have an urgent need for the IP offices to apply digital technology to provide efficient services for applicants and intensify the protection of new emerging technologies (NET).