The future of digitalized IP Office worldwide

What if there is a day that the physical IP offices will only be memories? At that point, all businesses will be conducted online through a modern, digitalized IP Office. The applicants and their representatives won’t have to waste time traveling back and forward to fill out the administrative papers, reducing a huge amount of time and money wasted. Although the picture is perfect but will the future of digitalized IP Office worldwide be made possible?

The world is changing rapidly day by day. Each day is a new chapter. 

Each day there is a new invention published to the world, contributing to the creation of a modern technology world.

Just a few decades ago, people won’t even think of chatting and talking via video directly with their friends and families across the globe. Nowadays, it can be done as easily as a click of a mouse and 5 seconds of waiting. 

However, this technology is relatively ‘old’ to the ones being introduced recently, such as new technologies including AI and blockchain, etc.

On this development path, the world has encountered a heavy obstacle which is the Covid-19 pandemic. 

At first, the pandemic struck a heavy blow to all governments, making them paralyzed for a short period of time. However, they quickly recovered due to the digitalization of nearly all services, including IP.

Despite the isolation order, the IP Office was still able to work, although not 100%, to serve and protect the rights of rights holders. 

On the other hand, the Covid-19 pandemic even boost the IP filings of applicants worldwide, creating a new record that has never been met before. 

Now, when the pandemic is nearly under control, there are new questions arose in people’s minds, for example:

• Would the idea of a digitalized IP Office be possible?
• If the digitalized IP Office is so functional, why would we need to abandon it when the pandemic is over?
• Should we both utilize the physical IP Office and digitalized IP Office or should we completely change to the digitalized aspect in the future?

The last part of the last question seems bizarre at the moment but after the announcement of Mark Zuckerberg about the Metaverse, the idea starts to get more supporters.

When Metaverse was introduced, the concept of a parallel 3D virtual world which many consider the next-level Internet completely changes all current beliefs and thinking of the current world.

One of the subjects of the changes is the IP Office which has publicly stated that they have also branched out into other endeavors. 

Changes to the IP Office in the world

The IP Offices in the world are slowly shifting from a place where the applicants come to register their rights to an IP hub engaged in a myriad of other activities. 

Not just where the rights holders protect their rights but IP Office will be the place to promote such protection and spread the idea of IP rights protection to all other sectors in society. 

There are activities that promote innovation, provide IP education, and support the development of more inclusive public policy, among others.

Expert opinions

Michael Schwager, director-general of IP Australia expressed great enthusiasm over the new future of IP in the new age: “New and emerging technologies provide us with exciting opportunities to evolve how we serve our customers. This includes exploring the use of AI for greater effectiveness and efficiency in processing and administration, and blockchain could enable increased transparency of systems and records. Mobile apps and virtual assistants could provide real-time assistance for customers, and instantaneous prior art searches using AI and data analytics.”

However, as there have been many examples where the law can’t catch up with the changing technologies, Schwager stated that to have development, it must be a mutual development, meaning that the IP Offices of the countries must ensure the IP laws can keep pace with the technology. 

Discussing the digitalized future IP Office, Schwager gave out recommendations that IP offices should be adapted to the changes in the IP ecosystem. In addition, they should also utilize technology to evolve, being on the same path, not against the trending of the world: “This includes finding efficiencies in the administration and examination of IP rights, and continuously adapting to improve the quality and consistency of outcomes.”

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– You could see the Procedure of Trademark in Australia here.

– You could visit here to see the Required documents of filing trademark in Australia.

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