News - March 2026
- Patent Prosecution Highway with China Extended until 2031
- Signing Ceremony for JPO-IPOS Memorandum of Cooperation
- Patent Expiry No Bar to Revocation: Significant Judicial Clarification
- Electronic Filing of Eurasian Applications Launched in Azerbaijan
- PATENTSCOPE Introduces Verified SEP Searches, Announces Upcoming User Webinars
- Public Notice: Shifting of Well-Known Trade Marks Section to New Delhi
- Omani Trademark Office Issues New Renewal Procedure Ahead of 2026 Deadlines
- India Proposes Major Reform of Design Law
- Mexico’s Supreme Court rules that AI-generated works without human authorship are not eligible for copyright
- Hague System - Reduction in the Individual Designation Fees for Japan
1 Patent Prosecution Highway with China Extended until 2031
The cooperation on accelerated patent examination between China and Austria is on to the next round. Good news for Austrian companies operating in China: The agreement on accelerated patent examination between Austria and China will be extended for another five years. This ensures faster processing times and therefore better opportunities for Austrian innovations in the world's largest trading nation. The Austrian Patent Office and the Chinese Intellectual Property Office CNIPA have maintained an effective partnership for many years. Back in 2013, the two offices launched a pilot project – a bilateral agreement on accelerated patent examination via the “Patent Prosecution Highway” (PPH).
This agreement has proven successful and has now been extended...
Source URL:- https://www.patentamt.at/en/all-news/news-detail/artikel/patent-prosecution-highway-mit-china-bis-2031-verlaengert
2 Signing Ceremony for JPO-IPOS Memorandum of Cooperation
JPO Commissioner KASAI held a bilateral meeting with Mr. TAN Kong Hwee, Chief Executive of the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS)! On November 25, 2025, the JPO and IPOS held a bilateral meeting at the JPO . At the meeting, both offices agreed to update the Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) for the first time in 11 years and signed the revised document. This update will accelerate knowledge sharing and collaboration between the two offices across a wider range of fields than ever before.
The JPO will continue to cooperate with other countries to further develop IP systems!…
Source URL:- https://www.jpo.go.jp/e/news/quickreads/index.html#up20260202
3 Patent Expiry No Bar to Revocation: Significant Judicial Clarification
In Boehringer Ingelheim Pharma GmbH & Co. KG v. Controller of Patents & Anr., LPA 129/2025, dated 24/02/2026, he hon’ble Delhi High Court held that a revocation petition would be maintainable, and would continue to survive, even after the patent of which revocation is sought expires by efflux of time, and a revocation petition can be instituted even after a Section 107 invalidity defence is taken in the infringement suit…
Source URL:- https://delhihighcourt.nic.in/app/showFileJudgment/CHS24022026LPA1292025_160827.pdf
4 Electronic Filing of Eurasian Applications Launched in Azerbaijan
A major milestone in digital transformation and the development of the common Eurasian information and patent space has been reached in Azerbaijan. With the support of the EAPO, the Intellectual Property Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan has successfully launched the electronic filing service for Eurasian applications. The service is integrated into the national P?NAH electronic filing system, enabling applicants in Azerbaijan to submit Eurasian applications for inventions and industrial designs online. This project serves as a pilot initiative within the EAPO framework and stands out for its unprecedented level of IT integration. Applications filed electronically are routed to the internal…
Source URL:- https://www.eapo.org/en/eapv-news-en/electronic-filing-of-eurasian-applications-launched-in-azerbaijan/
5 PATENTSCOPE Introduces Verified SEP Searches, Announces Upcoming User Webinars
On February 3, WIPO marked an important milestone with the launch of verified standard essential patent (SEP) information in PATENTSCOPE, its global patent database. The new search functionality responds to a growing need for clearer and more reliable SEP information as standards and connected technologies continue to evolve rapidly. To help users make the most of the new feature, WIPO's PATENTSCOPE team is hosting short demonstration webinars on Tuesday, February 10 and Thursday, February 12….
6 Public Notice: Shifting of Well-Known Trade Marks Section to New Delhi
It is hereby informed for the general information of all stakeholders, applicants, registered proprietors, legal practitioners, and members of the public that consequent upon the shifting of the Headquarters of the Controller General of Patents, Designs and Trade Marks (CGPDTM) vide Gazette Notification (F. No. P-24017/56/2024-IPR-I) dated 25th February, 2025, from Mumbai to New Delhi, Accordingly, all matters, applications, communications, representations, and related correspondence pertaining to the Well-Known Trade Marks Section shall henceforth be addressed to: Trade Marks Registry - (Well Known Section),
Office of the Controller General of Patents, Designs & Trade Marks Bouddhik Sampada Bhawan, Plot No. 32, Sector 14, Dwarka, New Delhi.…
Source URL:- https://ipindia.gov.in/uploads/e6d621fe-e6b3-4777-996c-10e1293f00cb_Public%20Notice%202685.pdf
7 Omani Trademark Office Issues New Renewal Procedure Ahead of 2026 Deadlines
MUSCAT - The Omani Trademark Office has issued new procedures for trademark owners with trademarks due for renewal in 2026. The change reflects updates in the Nice Classification and requires some rights holders to file amendment application(s) to maintain proper protection under Omani law . For example, under the updated international framework (Nice Classification, 13th Edition), a number of items previously classified in Class 9 are now excluded. Although Oman continues to apply the 11th Edition of the Nice Classification, the Trademark Office’s recent notice clarifies that applicants seeking renewals in 2026 and beyond must take action if their specifications include goods no longer recognized in more recent international versions…
Source URL:- https://www.agip.com/News/en/news/23538
8 India Proposes Major Reform of Design Law
The Government of India has proposed a major reform of the country’s design protection framework through wide-ranging amendments to the Designs Act, 2000. The initiative, outlined in a Concept Note released in January 2026 by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), aims to modernize the law in response to technological advances and the increasingly global and digital nature of design creation. The proposed amendments set out a wide range of changes aimed at modernising the design protection…
9 Mexico’s Supreme Court rules that AI-generated works without human authorship are not eligible for copyright
In Amparo Directo 6/2025, the Mexican Supreme Court upheld the refusal by the Instituto Nacional de Derechos de Autor (INDAUTOR) to register the AI-generated image 'Avatar Virtual: Gerald Garcia Baez', which was created using the 'Leonardo' tool. The applicant claimed that he had provided photos and prompts and had even sought moral rights for the AI system. The Court confirmed that, under Mexico’s Federal Copyright Law, protection requires originality tied to human creative expression and authorship, including moral rights, which belong exclusively to natural persons (Articles 3, 12 and 18). The Court added that neither the United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement (USMCA) nor the Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works requiresframework…
10 Hague System - Reduction in the Individual Designation Fees for Japan
From April 1, 2026, there will be a reduction in the individual designation fees applicable when designating Japan under the Hague System. When designating Japan in an international application, the individual designation fees will be reduced as follows:
· Application: 373 Swiss francs per design
· Each renewal (first to fourth): 423 Swiss francs per design…
Source URL:- https://www.wipo.int/en/web/hague-system/w/news/2026/hague-system-japan-reduces-its-individual-designation-fees-1