The European Patent Office (EPO), Japan Patent Office (JPO) and United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) met in Vienna on 19-21 October for their 44^th annual Trilateral Conference. The meeting brought together EPO President António Campinos, who hosted the event, JPO Commissioner Yasuyuki Kasai and Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and USPTO Director John A. Squires to discuss current and future challenges facing the global patent system.

Industry representatives BusinessEurope and epi, the Japan Intellectual Property Association, the American Intellectual Property Law Association and the Intellectual Property Owners Association also participated in the high-level discussions, alongside the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), represented by Tsuyoshi Isozumi, Senior Director, PCT Services Department on behalf of the Director General Daren Tang.

“For more than four decades, Trilateral co-operation has helped shape the international patent system. Today, its value lies in our ability to identify common challenges, test new ideas and turn promising initiatives into practical solutions. Our discussions in Vienna have shown the potential of this approach, from Global Assignment to the responsible use of AI. By focusing on concrete outcomes and working closely with users, we can ensure that our co-operation continues to deliver real value.” – António Campinos, President, European Patent Office

Easing transfer of patent ownership for users

A central focus this year was Global Assignment, an initiative to simplify the transfer of patent ownership across borders. The EPO reported progress on its technical solution and expressed readiness to share this technology to benefit users and support broader international co-operation, including through WIPO's Global IP Assignment Platform initiative. The offices, industry and WIPO took part in a technical workshop to review current proposals, technical approaches and operational considerations. An industry-led panel then outlined users' needs and implementation priorities, including timely delivery, geographic coverage, legal certainty, information reuse, interoperability and scalability.

The heads of office welcomed the progress made and emphasised the importance of continued industry engagement and wider IP5 involvement. It was agreed to present a common technical solution at the IP5 meetings in June 2027, a decision acclaimed by all industry representatives. 

Improving patent examination and efficiency

The heads of office and industry representatives also discussed how the Trilateral framework can deliver greater impact through focused co-operation to address common challenges in patent examination, the availability and effective use of patent information, and the efficiency of patent procedures. The exchange addressed timeliness and pendency, duplicated work, administrative burden, assignment recordation, digital workflows, information reuse and data sharing, as well as their impact on users, investment and business value. 

Advancing co-operation on AI tools

Artificial intelligence remains a key area of Trilateral co-operation. The offices reviewed progress made by the Trilateral AI Working Group, established last year, and continued discussions towards developing a common vision to communicate their shared principles and approaches to the responsible use of AI in patent administration. They also took stock of ongoing work on AI-supported tools, agreeing to advance the next phases of the study and take industry feedback into account. Industry contributed its perspectives, highlighting the importance for users of transparency, predictability, quality and usability. The offices also recognised the importance of continued exchanges on emerging legal and examination questions arising from AI, with a view to avoiding unnecessary divergence.

During the conference, EPO President Campinos also held bilateral meetings with his JPO and USPTO counterparts.

Looking ahead

The Trilateral Offices reaffirmed their commitment to focused co-operation that delivers practical benefits for offices and users, while complementing work in the IP5 and other relevant fora. The JPO will host the 45^th Trilateral Conference in 2027.

Source：European Patent Office (EPO) News；2026-10-26；https://www.epo.org/en/news-events/news/trilateral-offices-meet-vienna-advance-global-assignment-and-co-operation-ai