The TM5 Partners met in Incheon, South Korea, for the 2023 TM5 Annual Meeting hosted by KIPO. The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) was present as an observer.
During the Annual Meeting from 11 to 12 September, the Partners adopted a joint statement focusing on emerging technologies, quality and efficiency of trade-mark related services and user participation. New TM5 projects approved include one led by KIPO (‘Trade marks in virtual space’) to compare examination practices in relation to virtual goods, and another on sustainability (‘Green TM5’) led by the EUIPO to provide an overview of the environmental efforts of the Partner offices.
The Partners published a comparative study on opposition practices and their overall statistics for 2022. They also completed two projects, one on ‘Fraudulent Solicitations‘ led by the EUIPO and the USPTO and ‘Archive practices’ led by the CNIPA. Both projects were agreed to be closed following the completion of their respective internal comparative studies. Please consult the Record of Discussion for further details of the meeting.
The TM5 user session of 13 September was attended by over 70 users from the five jurisdictions, both in person and online. Users stressed the need for further guidance and harmonised approach on bad faith, priority applications, proof of use requirements and virtual goods. The JPO took over as host and secretariat of TM5 in 2024.
