Full Text: Joint Statement on a 10 Year Vision for Trilateral IP Cooperation

SEOUL -- The following is the full text of a joint statement on a 10 year vision for trilateral Intellectual Property (IP) cooperation among China, Japan and the Republic of Korea (ROK) released on Monday.

Joint Statement on a 10 Year Vision for Trilateral IP Cooperation

We, the leaders of the Republic of Korea, Japan and the People's Republic of China, convened in Seoul, Republic of Korea, on May 27, 2024, on the occasion of the Ninth Trilateral Summit.

Recalling that on the occasion of the 23rd anniversary of the trilateral cooperation among the Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO), the Japan Patent Office (JPO), and the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) (hereinafter collectively referred to as "the three offices"), the heads of the three offices held the trilateral meeting on November 30, 2023, in Busan, Republic of Korea, to review the course of the trilateral cooperation and charted a new direction in response to the needs of a new era;

Recalling that the three offices launched the trilateral Intellectual Property (IP) cooperation back in 2001 with the goal of facilitating exchanges and utilization of patent examination information, harmonizing patent examination practices, and establishing international norms;

Acknowledging that over the past twenty-three years, based on geographical proximity and cultural similarities, the three offices have continuously enhanced mutual trust, deepened cooperation in six areas-IP automation, patents, designs, human resources development, trials and appeals, and trademarks-and strengthened patent protection to ensure patentees fully enjoy the exclusive rights in return for their invention and disclosure;

Recognizing that the volume of patent applications handled by the three offices has increased from 40 percent of the world total to over 60 percent while the trademark filing activities of the three offices have increased from 20 percent of the world total to more than 50 percent over the last two decades, which represents the significant role the three offices have played in promoting technological advances and economic growth not just in Northeast Asia but also around the world;

Sharing the view that the next decade will witness more intensive convergence between different industries and technologies and rapid advances in science and technology;

Acknowledging that technological progress and innovation are key to overcoming global crises such as COVID-19, and IP is a catalyzing factor for achieving them, we need to continue to cooperate with each other to promote the creation and utilization of IP by innovators in the three countries, and actively protect IP rights;

Reaffirming that this is the time for us to make concerted efforts to share our accumulated IP experience with more countries to narrow the global IP disparity;

We instructed that over the next decade:

1. The three offices establish an IP system that can accommodate and embrace fast-changing technologies. With the expectation that universities, enterprises and research institutions in the three countries will develop and release innovative goods, services and solutions in the sector of fourth industrial revolution technologies such as AI and IoT, the three offices will work together to improve relevant rules, examination practices and systems to ensure that an appropriate type of IP right is issued to those creations in a timely manner and they are properly protected by law.

2. The three offices make joint efforts to enhance public accessibility and encourage utilization of patent information by the private sector. The three offices recognize that an analysis of patent information may provide an excellent guidance to academia, research groups and industry in setting the direction for their R&D and investment activities as well as developing market entry strategies. In this spirit, the three offices are committed to exchanging patent information with each other, disclosing shared information to the public gratis and supporting the private sector in making the most of the disclosed patent information, thereby supporting other countries' endeavors to achieve technological development and innovation-driven growth.

3. The three offices strive to expand IP cooperation beyond the three countries to include other countries or regions in order to share the valuable achievements which the three offices have made together in pursuit of "Trilateral+X IP Cooperation." As the three offices wish to find partners for IP cooperation, the three offices will primarily consider countries or regional organizations (e.g. ASEAN) with which there is a need for collaboration or scope to generate a synergy. The three offices believe this will mark the first step toward balanced growth in the world by narrowing the global IP disparity.