Artificial Intelligence in Focus at Meeting of World’s Five Largest Patent Offices in Tokyo - EPO
14-Jun-2026
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Source : The European Patent Office (EPO)
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Visits : 68
MUNICH - The European Patent Office (EPO) participated in the annual meeting of the world’s five largest intellectual property offices (IP5) in Tokyo. The IP5 Heads of Office agreed to strengthen cooperation on the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance user services and improve examination quality and efficiency. Cooperation with industry across all IP5 regions was strengthened through dedicated meetings with industry associations. The mission to Asia also provided an opportunity for bilateral exchanges with the Japanese and Korean offices, according to the official website of the Office.
The reach and influence of the IP5
The IP5, comprising the EPO, the Japan Patent Office (JPO), the Ministry of Intellectual Property (MOIP) of the Republic of Korea, the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA), and the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), collectively account for around 85% of patent applications filed worldwide and play a key role in shaping the global intellectual property system.
The IP5 heads meeting was chaired by JPO Commissioner KASAI Yasuyuki and attended by EPO President António Campinos, MOIP Minister Kim Yong Sun, USPTO Director John Squires and CNIPA Deputy Commissioner Zhang Zhicheng, who participated online. The Deputy Director of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Lisa Jorgenson attended in an observer capacity.
The Offices shared their respective approaches to adopting AI technologies and reaffirmed the importance of responsible use and close cooperation to ensure that policies and initiatives keep pace with rapid technological change. The Heads of Office agreed to carry out the first comprehensive review of the IP5 New Emerging Technologies/Artificial Intelligence (NET/AI) Roadmap, endorsed in 2021, and to identify new opportunities for cooperation. In addition, they reviewed progress on other IP5 projects led by working groups in areas such as classification, the Global Dossier and patent information, work-sharing and quality, statistics, and the alignment of patent practices.
EPO President Campinos said: “AI and other emerging technologies are creating new opportunities to enhance services for users and support innovation. At the EPO, we are leveraging AI responsibly to improve quality, efficiency and user services, while ensuring transparency and human oversight. Through cooperation with partners around the world, including within the IP5 framework, we can share best practices, better meet users' evolving needs and address the opportunities and challenges that AI presents to patent systems globally.”
Advancing cooperation with industry
The meeting provided an opportunity to deepen cooperation with industry. On 11 June, a dedicated meeting took place with industry associations from the IP5 regions to review progress across the working groups and exchange views on key intellectual property issues facing users. In line with the main topic of this year’s meeting, discussions focused on the operational deployment of AI technologies, responsible and transparent AI use, and expectations regarding AI-supported tools and processes across intellectual property offices and industry. The industry representatives expressed strong support for the initiatives of the IP5 Offices and reaffirmed their commitment to close and constructive cooperation.
Bilateral meetings with Japanese and Korean offices
EPO President Campinos also held bilateral meetings with his counterparts from the JPO and MOIP. During discussions with JPO Commissioner KASAI Yasuyuki, they reviewed progress in their ongoing collaboration, particularly in the area of examination practices. Reference was made to the updated EPO Technology Dashboard and the growing interest of Japanese innovators in the Unitary Patent as a cost-effective route to patent protection in Europe.
The meeting with Korean Minister of Intellectual Property KIM Yong Sun focused on the continuous increase in Korean filings at the EPO and on outreach initiatives about the Unitary Patent and Unified Patent Court for Korean users. The two offices explored new cooperation opportunities in the area of NET/AI and President Campinos presented the latest developments in AI-assisted tools. Discussions also covered MOIP's intention to participate in a pilot project with the Office, enabling Korean applicants to designate the EPO as International Searching Authority (ISA) under the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT).
Marking 20 years of the Patent Prosecution Highway
The IP5 Offices and industry representatives were joined by delegates from the Canadian Intellectual Property Office, the UK Intellectual Property Office and WIPO to mark the 20th anniversary of the Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH). Participants reflected on the history of the PPH and reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening the system in the years ahead. The PPH is a cooperation framework among patent offices worldwide that enables applicants to request accelerated patent examination based on positive examination results from another participating office, while also helping offices improve efficiency through work-sharing. The EPO currently has PPH programs in place with the other IP5 offices and more than a dozen national offices.
The next IP5 Heads of Office meeting, which will mark the 20th edition, will be hosted by the EPO in 2027.