TM5 Holds its 12th Annual Meeting

September 26, 2023

The 12th Annual Meeting of the Five Trademark Offices (TM5), which include Japan, the United States, Europe, China and Korea, was held in Incheon, Korea from September 11-13, 2023. Mr. YAMASHITA, Director-General of the Trademark and Customer Relations Department, attended the meeting from the Japan Patent Office (JPO).

The TM5 offices confirmed during the meeting that in addition to existing issues, they would also continue to cooperate in addressing new trademark matters under emerging technologies, including the metaverse and AI (artificial intelligence), as well as evolving business practices.

The meeting attendees also reviewed the outcomes and discussed the way forward regarding 15 cooperative projects, including the "Bad Faith Trademark Project^*1", "IT Support for Trademark Examination Project^*2", and "User Involvement Project^*3" led by the JPO, as well as two additional newly-proposed projects.

With respect to the projects being led by the JPO, the TM5 offices agreed to hold an awareness workshop in Vietnam at the beginning of 2024 to disseminate the results of TM5 initiatives regarding the "Bad Faith Trademark Project".

In addition, the proposal to hold another expert meeting on the "IT Support for Trademark Examination Project" next year, following the one held this year, was endorsed by all offices.

Furthermore, regarding the "User Involvement Project", the TM5 Offices agreed to hold the next "TM5 Joint Workshop" during the International Trademark Association (INTA) Annual Meeting in May 2024, whose theme it was also agreed would be "How to Determine the Likelihood of Confusion at the Examination Stage".

The TM5 User Session was held on the final day of the meeting for user representatives from industry groups and agent organizations. In addition to reports from each office on the latest statistics and measures, user representatives also gave presentations on the topic of "Challenges in Trademark Filing in the Digital Era", wherein TM5 Office members held discussions and exchanged opinions with users.

The TM5 Offices reached a consensus that the JPO would host the TM5 Meeting in 2024.

The JPO will continue to help promote the appropriate protection and utilization of trademark rights through TM5 initiatives.
 

• *1: The TM5 Offices aim to exchange information on their respective laws, regulations and operational practices with regard to bad faith trademark filings, as well as to provide users with information in this regard.
• *2: The TM5 Offices aim to exchange information on IT tools/systems for the purpose of optimizing trademark examinations.
• *3: A project led jointly with the EUIPO. The JPO leads TM5 joint workshops in cooperation with the INTA to disseminate information to users.
   

Representatives from TM5 offices and WIPO
(From left: Mr. Sandris LAGANOVSKIS, Director of Institutional and Cooperation Department, EUIPO,
Ms. Nancy OMELKO, Senior Trademark Counsel, Office of Policy and International Affairs, USPTO,
Mr. Youngmin GOO, Director General, Trademark & Design Examination Bureau, KIPO, Ms. Insil LEE, Commissioner, KIPO,
Mr. Takanari YAMASHITA, Director-General, Trademark and Customer Relations Department, JPO,
Ms. Qi YUAN, Inspector Level 1, International Cooperation Department, CNIPA,
Mr. Hongbing CHEN, Director, Madrid Operations Division, Madrid Registry, Brands and Designs Sector, WIPO)
(Photo: KIPO)

Participants from the TM5 Offices and WIPO
(Photo: KIPO)

TM5 Annual Meeting
(Photo: KIPO)

Presentation by a JPO representative at the User Session (center)

Presentation by a Japanese user representative at the User Session (center)

Links

• The Five Trademark Offices (TM5)
• TM5 Website "Bad Faith Trademarks" (External link)
• TM5 Website "IT Support for Trademark Examination" (External link)
• TM5 Website "User Involvement" (External link)

[Last updated 26 September 2023]