AIPPI Newsletter – September 2026

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September 2026

Highlights

DON’T MISS IT! Registration is open until 20 September 2026

Did you know that Hamburg has more than 2,500 bridges – more than Venice, London, and Amsterdam combined?

Well, this October, the 2026 AIPPI World Congress adds one more: a bridge connecting IP practitioners, judges, in-house counsel, and policymakers from every corner of the globe.

From 7–10 October 2026, the CCH – Congress Center Hamburg becomes the meeting point for our profession: four days to debate where IP law is heading, compare notes across jurisdictions, and build the relationships that outlast any single session.

Haven't registered yet? Registration closes this Sunday, 20 September. Don't miss your chance to cross this bridge

See you soon!

Explore the Attendee Hub and get ready for Congress

Everything you need for the Congress, all in one place! Find essential information, updates, and useful resources in the Attendee Hub and make the most of your Congress experience.

Explore the Attendee Hub

Your Hamburg Experience Programme

Looking to explore Hamburg? Rosinenfischer is offering guided tours of the city especially for AIPPI World Congress attendees – a great way to discover Hamburg's harbour, history, and landmarks alongside fellow delegates!

Discover the Tours

Spotlight on Japan's Activity Report

Every newsletter, we are sharing the best 2025 Activity Reports received from National and Regional Groups. This month, we’re happy to highlight AIPPI Japan!

Law & Case Notes

China

China’s 2026 Trademark Law Revision: What to Expect for Motion Mark Examination

Ling Zhao and Cuicui Liang, CCPIT Patent And Trademark Law Office, China

China’s Trademark Law was revised in June 2026 (effective 1 January 2027), formally recognising motion marks (referred to in the Chinese text as "dynamic trademarks") as a standalone registrable category and codifying a functionality examination for all non-traditional marks.

China

China Implements New Measures for Priority Examination of Patents

Jungang Lyu and Zhongling Han, Beijing Sanyou Intellectual Property Agency Ltd. China

China’s patent fast lane has been rebuilt. On 28 July 2026, CNIPA Commissioner Shen Changyu signed Order No. 85 promulgating a revised “Measures for the Administration of Priority Examination of Patents”

Italy

R&D and IP counselling - Confidentiality and Joint-Development Agreements

Stefania Bergia,Simmons and Simmons, Carlo Maria Faggioni, Studio Fumero, and Alessandro Spina, Beko Italy Manufacturing, Italy

Companies engaged in research and development activities frequently collaborate with external partners, including suppliers and consultants who possess specialised expertise and technologies.

Japan

Japan Strengthens Plant Variety Protection: The 2026 Amendment to the Seed and Seedling Act --- Extending breeders' rights and closing the pre-registration leakage gap

Takeshi S. Komatani, TAKASHIMA International Patent Office, Japan

Japan has long been a source of premium, painstakingly bred agricultural varieties — from the ruby-red strawberry cultivar Beni-hoppe to the seedless grape Shine Muscat, whose export value has been eroded for years by “unauthorized” cultivation abroad after cuttings or seedlings left the country before, or shortly after, variety registration.

Jordan

Northern Iraq (Kurdistan Of Iraq): The Trademark Registry Reverts To A 15-Year Protection Period

Firas Qumsieh, NJQ & Associates, Jordan

ERBIL – In a significant administrative and legal shift within the Department of Trademark Registration (the Department) in the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG)

Moldova

Moldova Joins EPO as 40th Member State

Aura Campeanu, CWB, Azerbaijan

On 1 June 2026, the Republic of Moldova officially became the 40th member state of the European Patent Organisation (EPOrg), following the entry into force of its accession to the European Patent Convention (EPC).

Poland

A European provisional application? Be careful what you wish for

Marek Bury, Bury & Bury European and Polish Patent and Trademark Attorneys, Poland

Calls for a European provisional patent application are not new. A 2002 European Commission communication recorded strong support from large industry, while academic respondents also attached considerable importance to the idea.

Poland

A European electronic priority document? Absurdly elaborate, surprisingly useful

Marek Bury, Bury & Bury European and Polish Patent and Trademark Attorneys, Poland

A priority document answers two deceptively simple questions: when was an application filed, and what did it contain on that date? For decades, the answer travelled on paper.

Russian Federation

Serial Non-Use Challenges to Famous Foreign Trade Marks in Russia

Ramzan Khusainov, Khusainov Khomyakov & Partners, Russia

Russian courts are increasingly looking beyond a claimant's formal evidence of market interest.

Thailand

Closing the Gap: A Reform Blueprint for Addressing Bad-Faith Trademark Registration in Thailand

Nuttaphol Arammuang, Suvijak Sriphavatsarakom, Tilleke & Gibbins, Thailand

Thailand’s first-to-file trademark system has a serious vulnerability: it lacks both an explicit mechanism for refusing bad-faith registrations and any means of invalidating them in court after the five-year limitation period has expired.

Türkiye

Recent Turkish Court of Cassation Ruling on the Distinctiveness and Descriptiveness of a 3D Trademark Application Involving a Whisky Glass Shape

Gülay Göksu Anul and Müge Kahveci Rocha Cutiller, NSN Law Firm, Türkiye

The registration of 3D trademarks is ever challenging in Türkiye, as in many other jurisdictions due to the high threshold applied in assessing their distinctiveness and descriptiveness.

UAE

UAE's New Accelerated Patent Grant Programme: A Faster Patent Grant—or Simply a Smarter Examination Process?

Nevin Jacob Koshy, United Trademark & Patent Services, UAE

"Accelerated Patent Grant." At first glance, the name suggests one thing: a faster route to obtaining a patent in the UAE.

UAE

Adopts Formal Collective Management Framework for Musical Works

Salah Samhouri, Saba IP, UAE

By Ministerial Resolution No. 136 of 2026, the UAE Ministry of Economy and Tourism has adopted a Collective Management Guide for Music, introducing a licensing mechanism for the public commercial use of musical works and phonograms.

UAE

Executive Regulations Clarify Enforcement of the Commercial Fraud Law

Salah Samhouri, Saba IP, UAE

The UAE has issued the Executive Regulations implementing Federal Decree-Law No. (42) of 2023 on Combating Commercial Fraud, providing the procedural framework for how commercial fraud cases will be investigated, managed, and enforced in practice.

USA

Trademarks and Parody: Jack Daniel’s Revisited

Robert W. Sacoff, Pattishall, McAuliffe, Newbury, Hilliard & Geraldson LLP, USA

On 4 August 2026, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit reversed the 23 January 2025 decision of the trial court, the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona, in the long-running trademark litigation between Jack Daniel’s Properties, Inc. (“Jack Daniel’s”), and VIP Products, LLC (“VIP”)

Uzbekistan

Uzbekistan Adopts Six New Administrative Regulations Digitalising Patent Procedures

Dimitar Batakliev, CWB, Uzbekistan

On 10 June 2026, Uzbekistan adopted Resolution No. 297 approving six administrative regulations governing state services in the field of intellectual property.

NRGs News

Chile

Overcoming poverty as the technical problem to be solved by humankind

María José Morales Codelia, Villaseca Abogados, Chile

Intellectual and Industrial Property is usually seen as a tool for protecting innovation and promoting creativity.

Costa Rica

Invitation to the V Congress of the AIPPI Central America and Caribbean Regional Group

Paola Castro, CASTROIP, Costa Rica

Join Us in San José, Costa Rica for the V Congress of the AIPPI Central America and Caribbean Regional Group!

Mexico

IMPI Steps onto the International Stage: A New Authority for Patent Search and Examination

Jose Juan Mendez, Mendez Cortes, Sc and Israel Jimenez, Breakthrough IP, Mexico

We are pleased to inform you that, during the sessions of the Assembly of the PCT Union, the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) approved the designation of the Mexican Institute of Industrial Property (IMPI) as an International Searching Authority and International Preliminary Examining Authority (ISA/IPEA).

Upcoming Events

AIPPI

AIPPI D&I Committee Webinar – Inclusive Crisis Management, Trauma, and Organisational Resilience on 28 September 2026

This webinar will explore how organisations can respond to crises with empathy, inclusivity, and resilience.

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