The UK Intellectual Property Office (IPO) is among the most innovative and functional intellectual property (IP) agencies in the world, a major study has revealed.
The finding forms part of the fifth edition of World Trademark Review’s (WTR) IP Office Innovation Ranking, an annual survey identifying the experiences of rights holders and applicants across the globe.
According to the paper, the UK IPO ranks among the top regulators in the world, behind only the EU Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO), the Korean Intellectual property Office (KIPO), and the IP Office of Singapore (IPOS). More than 60 offices were involved in the study.
It is suggested that the UK office is doing more than “just managing an intellectual property register” by innovating tools and service offerings for users.
This includes comprehensive guidance and support for enforcing British IP rights in overseas jurisdictions, the launch of an artificial intelligence (AI) powered tool that helps applicants identify trade marks that already exist, and the introduction of the IP Access fund, a scheme that helps businesses to grow and to build back better from the coronavirus pandemic.
Further down the list, the Brazilian IP Office (INPI) showed significant improvement for users (rising nearly 20 places) by tackling its “colossal application backlog”, while the Philippines IP Office (IPOPHL) climbed from 24th place in 2020 to 9th place this year.
Commenting on the study, the authors said: “The aim of the project is to highlight how many IP offices are doing more than just managing an intellectual property register, and to also direct the spotlight on the registries with gaps in particular tools and service offerings.
“For this year’s analysis, we studied 60 IP offices around the world – ten more than in previous years, in an effort to expand our global outlook. We also expanded the range of offerings we analysed, and now evaluate the implementation of tools that use blockchain and effective cooperation with other registries.”
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