WIPS Designated as Official Partner for the WIPO ASEAN IP Register

 

WIPS has been officially designated as a private-sector partner for the WIPO ASEAN IP Register, an initiative jointly managed by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and the ASEAN Working Group on Intellectual Property Cooperation (AWGIPC).

https://www.aseanip.org/latest-news-events/2026/07/10/asean-ip-offices-enhance-cooperation-with-ip-service-providers

    WIPO (World Intellectual Property Organization): A specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for establishing and managing global standards for intellectual property and patent rights.

  ASEAN IP Register: A consolidated regional database that enables integrated searches for IP registration information—including patents, trademarks, industrial designs, and geographical indications—across the 10 member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). The platform was jointly developed and launched by ASEAN and WIPO in 2023.

Strengthening Regional IP Infrastructure and Examination Capabilities

This partnership initiative aims to expand IP data accessibility across ASEAN member states and reinforce the professional capacity of patent examiners in each jurisdiction. To support these objectives, WIPO and AWGIPC conducted a rigorous evaluation of global private IP service providers capable of supplying advanced technologies and systems directly utilized by patent examiners.

As a result, WIPS was selected as an official global partner alongside Patsnap and Questel.

Delivering Higher Data Precision for Global Users

Searching for Southeast Asian IP data has traditionally presented challenges for global researchers due to disparate data quality standards and delayed updates among individual national offices. With the ASEAN region rapidly emerging as a global innovation hub-driven by dynamic demographics and a fast-growing digital economy-securing reliable and timely IP intelligence has become more crucial than ever.

Through this official collaboration, WIPS will receive structured, official, and real-time IP data feeds directly from ASEAN national patent officies. This integration will enable WIPS users to leverage an expanded and highly precise dataset when performing comprehensive Asian and global IP searches.

"WIPS remains dedicated to delivering top-tier patent intelligence services and reinforcing South Korea's leadership in the global IP industry. We invite your continued support as we advance our global reach."

 

 

"Strong Only on Paper?" How to Uncover the Real Value of Your Competitors' Core Patents

 

 When conducting a patent search, simply finding registered patents is often not enough. Determining how stable a patent's rights actually are, what disputes it has faced with competitors, whether ownership has been transferred, or of there is a history of licensing or collateralization are just as critical as the technical analysis itself.

 For instance, questions like: Has a competitor’s core patent ever faced an invalidation trial? Was a patent recently transferred to another company? Is technology commercialization underway through licensing agreements? What verdicts were handed down during a patent dispute? The answers to these questions directly impact your business and IP strategies.

 To facilitate this depth of analysis, WIPS Global provides Trial & Appeal Search and Legal Search features. Let’s take a closer look at how these two tools allow you to seamlessly check not only technical data but also integrated legal status and dispute histories.

Trial & Appeal Search: Patent Dispute History at a Glance

The Trial & Appeal Search feature allows users to search for a wide range of dispute and trial information, including invalidation trials, trials to confirm the scope of rights, oppositions, and appeals.

WIPS Global provides major trial data from the US, Europe, Japan, and South Korea, allowing you to efficiently monitor global dispute statuses.

Fast Search for Specific Trial Cases

wipsglobal.com> Trial & Appeal Search

 With search criteria including trial type, case number, parties involved, attorneys, and administrative judges, you can pinpoint specific dispute cases in no time. For the US, the platform includes case details from the PTAB (Patent Trial and Appeal Board) and BPAI, enabling in-depth analysis of trial statuses such as IPR, PGR, and CBM.

Track Dispute Flows and Outcomes

wipsglobal.com> Trial & Appeal Search > Search result

 Search results go beyond a simple list by providing both statistics by trial type and case-level information simultaneously. This makes it easy to quickly identify which types of trials occur most frequently, whether a case is pending or closed, and who the major litigating parties are. For South Korean data, related trials and appeals are grouped together, making the overall flow of a case much easier to follow.

Deep Dive into Case Details

wipsglobal.com > Trial & Appeal Search > View Details

 The case details screen allows you to review trial history, filed documents (dockets), trial decisions, and related patent information. In particular, for US PTAB cases, you can review the actual documents submitted and the entire proceedings, which is incredibly useful for analyzing a competitor's dispute or defense strategies.

Legal Search: Track Current Status and Ownership History

A patent’s status continues to evolve long after registration. Various legal events—such as ownership transfers (assignments), licensing setups, pledges (collateral), and maintenance fee payments—occur over time, serving as critical benchmarks for assessing a patent’s actual value and commercial viability. WIPS Global’s Legal Search helps you systematically search and analyze these changes in patent rights.

 Search Assignments, Licenses, and Pledges

wipsglobal.com > Legal Search

Users can filter and search legal information tailored to specific countries:

- US: Assignment, KR: Assignment and License, CN: Assignment, License and Pledge

Because these filters can be combined with standard patent search criteria, you can effortlessly analyze a specific company’s patent transfers or technology transaction activities.

Instant Legal Status Checks in Search Results

wipsglobal.com > Legal Search > Search Results

 Legal Search results present country-specific status data in statistical charts for quick overview. You can instantly verify statuses like Active, Pending, Granted, Expired, or Invalidated, making it a powerful tool for portfolio analysis or competitor monitoring.

Comprehensive History of Rights Modifications

wipsglobal.com > Legal Search > View Details > Legal Info

 In the patent details view, you can check not just the current legal status but the entire legal history post-registration. Assignment history, license agreements, pledge records, administrative procedures, and maintenance fee details are all consolidated onto a single screen. Notably, for Chinese data, chronological changes in legal status from application to the present day are provided, letting you easily map out the entire lifecycle of the right.

Practical Use Cases: How to Leverage These Features

Reviewing Competitor Patent Stability:

A high volume of patents does not inherently guarantee a strong portfolio. By checking whether a competitor's core patent has faced prior invalidation trials and reviewing the outcomes, you can more accurately assess the actual strength of their rights.

Uncovering Licensing and Tech Transfer Opportunities:

Using Legal Search, you can identify companies actively licensing out technologies in specific sectors. This helps you scout potential technology partners, discover R&D collaborators, and analyze business synergy opportunities.

FTO and Dispute List Analysis:

Reviewing patent lists is a must before launching a new product. By utilizing Trial & Appeal Search, you can see if related patents have been weaponized in actual lawsuits, helping you mitigate potential risks effectively.

M&A and Investment Due Diligence:

When evaluating a corporate acquisition or investment, legal health matters just as much as patent volume. Checking assignment histories, licensing contracts, and pledge statuses ensures a much more thorough and precise IP due diligence process.

 Patent analysis doesn’t end with just reading patent literature. To make accurate, data-driven decisions, you need to look at the bigger picture: which patents are actually tied up in disputes, how those rights are being managed, and what position that technology holds in the market.

 WIPS Global’s Trial & Appeal Search and Legal Search bring all of this together on a single platform, enabling you to conduct technical and legal analysis simultaneously.

 If you want to evaluate not just the technical value of a patent, but also its legal strength and commercial potential, experience WIPS Global’s specialized search features today. Go beyond the text and read the flow of rights and disputes—WIPS Global is here to guide your journey.

 

[International IP Briefing] US, KR

 

US

Anthropic and Other Tech Giants Launch ‘SAIL,’ a Patent Licensing Consortium for AI Foundation Models

On April 8, 2026, leading artificial intelligence (AI) companies—including Anthropic, IBM, Meta, Microsoft, Genentech, Block, Figma, eBay, and TD Bank Group—announced the launch of the Shared AI License Foundation (SAIL).

(Key Highlights)

SAIL is a patent licensing consortium dedicated to AI foundation models. Its primary objective is to accelerate AI technology development and foster follow-on innovation by providing streamlined access to core patents.

(1) Background of SAIL's Launch

- Surge in AI Patents: Driven by accelerating investments and rapid breakthroughs across diverse fields—such as Machine Learning, Natural Language Processing, Agentic Systems, and Computer Vision—global AI-related patent applications have skyrocketed by more than 2,000% over the past decade.

- Barriers to Market Innovation: However, this surge in patent filings, combined with the sheer complexity of the modern AI stack[1], has significantly increased risks. Developers are often forced to secure individual licenses from multiple patent holders. This process drives up costs, scatters R&D resources, and acts as a major bottleneck in bringing new innovations to market.

- Rising Global AI Investments: According to data released by Gartner, a leading U.S. information technology research and advisory firm, global AI spending is projected to reach $2.52 trillion in 2026, marking a 44% increase year-over-year [2].

- SAIL's Solution: To address these challenges, SAIL aims to establish a shared patent commons that guarantees organizations the freedom to invest in technologies incorporating AI models. This initiative is designed to ensure that capital poured into AI is focused on meaningful innovation, rather than being wasted on legal friction.

(2) Overview of SAIL

- Governance and Membership: Anthropic, IBM, Meta, Microsoft, and Genentech have joined as founding board members, while eBay and TD Bank Group will serve as board observers. Block and Figma have also joined the consortium as member companies.

- Mutual Licensing: Collectively, SAIL's member companies have filed and acquired more than 33,000 patent families since 2019. By granting mutual patent licenses for AI foundation model technologies, the consortium aims to fuel the growth and evolution of AI.

- Expected Impact: This streamlined approach is expected to foster a healthy AI ecosystem. By providing efficient access to essential patents, SAIL will ensure that the benefits of AI development are widely shared, while strengthening the broader ecosystem of organizations building and deploying AI technologies.

---------------------------------------------

[1] AI Stack: Refers to the entire suite of technologies, infrastructure, and software layers required to build and operate AI systems.

[2] For more details, see the link: https://www.gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2026-1-15-gartner-says-worldwide-ai-spending-will-total-2-point-5-trillion-dollars-in-2026

 

< Source of this post >

https://www.kiip.re.kr/board/trend/view.do?bd_gb=trend&bd_cd=1&bd_item=0&po_item_gb=US&po_no=24434

 

gettyimagesbank.com

KR

 MOIP Announces Patent Analysis Results for Aviation Fuel Derived from Waste Plastics

On May 26, 2026, the Ministry of Intellectual Property (MOIP) of South Korea released the results of its analysis on patents related to aviation fuel derived from waste plastics. The study examined filings made between 2019 and 2023 across the world’s five leading intellectual property offices (IP5).

(Background)

As jet fuel prices skyrocket, interest is surging in Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF)—an eco-friendly alternative. Made from renewable resources like used cooking oil, SAF can reduce carbon emissions by up to 80%.

Pyrolysis is a technology that heats waste plastics to high temperatures of 300–500°C to break them down into gases and liquids. Through this process, plastic is converted back into "pyrolysis oil," which closely resembles crude oil.

While "waste plastic-derived aviation fuel" made by refining this pyrolysis oil is not yet included in official SAF certification standards, it is gaining significant traction as a next-generation SAF feedstock. This is due to its distinct advantages: securing a stable raw material supply chain and turning waste into valuable resources. Consequently, global corporations are actively ramping up R&D in this field.

(Key Highlights) 

An analysis of 2,036 patents related to waste plastic-derived aviation fuel revealed that filings by South Korean nationals surged 7.6-fold from 2019 to 2023. This explosive growth earned South Korea the second-highest compound annual growth rate (CAGR) globally at 66.1%.

(1) Trends by Applicant Nationality

- The Global Landscape: An analysis of patent applications by nationality shows a tight race at the top, with China ranking first at 25.9% (527 filings) and the United States second at 24.5% (498 filings). They are followed by South Korea at 11.3% (230 filings), France at 6.8% (138 filings), and Japan at 5.2% (105 filings).

- South Korea's Rapid Growth: South Korea’s filings skyrocketed 7.6-fold, jumping from just 13 applications in 2019 to 99 in 2023. Its CAGR during this period reached 66.1%—the second-highest in the world behind Denmark (103.1%). France (62.7%), Saudi Arabia (29.4%), and the U.S. (28.8%) followed in growth rate.

(2) Trends by Key Applicants

- Top Filers: Eastman Chemical Company (U.S.) secured the top spot with 137 filings, followed by Sinopec (China) with 117 filings. South Korea's SK Innovation ranked third with 98 filings, while IFP Energies Nouvelles (France) came in fourth with 93 filings.

(3) Trends by Technology Classification

- Technology Focus: Breaking down the patents by technical sector reveals the following breakdown:

 1) Refining and Upgrading: Technologies for refining or upgrading waste plastic pyrolysis oil into aviation-grade fuel were the most prominent, accounting for 965 filings.

 2) Catalysts and Reactor Design: Technologies optimizing catalysts and reactor designs to boost conversion efficiency (either transforming plastic to pyrolysis oil or pyrolysis oil to jet fuel) ranked second with 162 filings.

 3) Pyrolysis Processes: Core thermal degradation process technologies used to heat and decompose waste plastics into pyrolysis oil placed third with 141 filings.

 

< Source of this post >

https://www.kiip.re.kr/board/trend/view.do?bd_gb=trend&bd_cd=1&bd_item=0&po_item_gb=KR&po_no=24457