Five Advanced Patent Offices Adopt Joint Statement on 'Advanced Technology Cooperation Roadmap'

Kim Yong-rae, Commissioner of the Korean Intellectual Property Office, is presenting an agenda at the 'IP5 Commissioners Meeting' held via video conference at the Government Complex Daejeon on the 24th. Photo by Korean Intellectual Property Office

[Asia Economy (Daejeon) Reporter Jeong Il-woong] The Intellectual Property5 (IP5), comprising the patent offices of five advanced countries, has decided to join forces to proactively respond to the rapid development of digital technologies such as artificial intelligence and to provide efficient patent examination services.

According to the Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO) on the 24th, the IP5 held a virtual IP5 Heads Meeting at the Government Complex Daejeon on the same day and adopted a joint statement approving the "New Emerging Technologies (NET) Cooperation Roadmap."

The Advanced Technology Cooperation Roadmap outlines mutual cooperation among IP5 in four areas: enhancing consistency in patent examination systems for inventions in advanced technology fields such as artificial intelligence, improving examination services using advanced technologies, streamlining prior art searches in advanced technology fields, and sharing trends related to advanced technologies.

Additionally, at the IP5 Heads Meeting, the member countries agreed to implement new tasks aimed at increasing convenience for applicants, such as unifying the patent assignment system and standardizing the format of drawings that must be submitted along with patent specifications.

Among these, the task of "unifying the patent assignment system" allows domestic companies (applicants) to submit the same documents to IP5 when acquiring overseas companies through mergers and acquisitions, thereby transferring patents and other rights together. According to KIPO, this will simplify the merger and acquisition procedures for companies.

Overview of IP5's 'Advanced Technology Cooperation Roadmap.' Provided by the Korean Intellectual Property Office

KIPO also attaches significance to the completion of the Advanced Technology Cooperation Roadmap through the Advanced Technology Task Force. In 2019, Korea jointly established the Advanced Technology Task Force with Europe, and the roadmap is essentially the fruit of this task force's efforts.

Kim Yong-rae, Commissioner of KIPO, stated, "The COVID-19 pandemic has acted as a catalyst highlighting the rationale and importance for IP5 countries (patent offices) to strengthen cooperative relationships in advanced technology fields such as artificial intelligence and big data." He added, "Based on the Advanced Technology Cooperation Roadmap, KIPO will enable the provision of high-quality examination services for innovative technologies and solidify cooperation among IP5 to activate non-face-to-face services utilizing advanced technologies."

Meanwhile, IP5 is a consultative body among the patent offices of five countries: Korea, the United States, China, Europe, and Japan, established in 2007. The volume of patent applications handled by IP5 accounts for 85% of the total patent applications worldwide, reflecting its significant influence.