Productive bilateral meetings on the margins of the 68th series of the WIPO Assemblies in Geneva

The 68th series of the Assemblies of the Member States of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) held recently in Geneva provided an excellent opportunity for the Hungarian Intellectual Property Office (HIPO) to strengthen its international relations and review the most important current issues in the field of intellectual property with its partners. The bilateral meetings contributed to the deepening of existing cooperations and the preparation of new joint initiatives. The delegation of HIPO was led by President Szabolcs Farkas at the meetings. 

At the meeting between the President of HIPO and the President of the Austrian Patent Office the key topic was the possible future strengthening and further development of the traditionally good partnership between the two offices, emphasising the cooperation within the frameworks of the “Visegrad 4 and Friends” group, which dates back several decades. The two presidents also exchanged views on the most important developments about their offices.

During the meeting with the Israel Patent Office, the heads of the offices discussed the innovation ecosystem of the two countries and the opportunities available to universities and SMEs to facilitate domestic patent granting procedures. In order to learn about the Israeli startup ecosystem and the efficient operation of Israeli TTOs, as well as to share experiences as PCT authority, the parties will continue the consultation, also involving innovation agencies.

At the meeting between HIPO and the Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property, the parties reviewed the issues of common interest, the latest developments about the offices, and discussed the positioning of the offices in the international and European IP sphere. 

The meeting with the Canadian Intellectual Property Office focused on IP strategy, startup support and the development of the national innovation ecosystem. The parties expressed their intention to further strengthen knowledge sharing and cooperation.

The meeting in Geneva between HIPO and the Directorate General of Intellectual Property of Indonesia was an important milestone in the increasingly intensive economic relations between the two countries. The heads of offices presented the main features of the intellectual property systems and important legislative changes of their countries and also talked about IP-related filing trends. Several issues were covered in which further exchanges of information or cooperation is expected, such as IP valuation, IP-backed financing, and the Master's Program in IP Management, to be launched at Corvinus University of Budapest. 

The long-standing excellent professional relationship with the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS) was further strengthened by the recently held meeting. Daren Tang, Director General of WIPO, re-elected this year, some years ago visited Hungary as the CEO of IPOS. Singapore is an excellent example in the field of IP valuation and IP-backed financing. The professional process aimed at creating opportunities for IP-backed financing has also been started in Hungary. Our goal is to strengthen cooperation with our Singaporean partner.

Following the bilateral meeting with WIPO, we will launch a joint pilot project to develop an Intangible Disclosure Framework aimed at helping growth-stage companies demonstrate the value of their intellectual property and supporting the future development of IP-backed financing in Hungary.

At the meeting between HIPO and the International Trademark Association (INTA), the parties discussed international, European and Hungarian developments related to trademarks. 

We would like to express our sincere gratitude for the productive meetings and valuable discussions to Mr Stefan Harasek, President of the Austrian Patent Office, Mr Mordechay Sorek, Adv., Executive Director and Commissioner of Patents, Trademarks and Designs of the Israel Patent Office, Ms Catherine Chammartin, Director General of the Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property, Mr Elias Collette, Director General for the Corporate Strategies and Services of the Canadian Intellectual Property Office, Mr Hermansyah Siregar, Director General of Intellectual Property at Indonesia's Ministry of Law, Mr Tan Kong Hwee, Chief Executive of the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore, Ms Allison Mages, Head of IP Commercialization, World Intellectual Property Organization, Mr Etienne Sanz de Acedo, Chief Executive Officer and Ms Deborah Hampton, President of the International Trademark Association. 

Fotó: HIPO