Ninth WIPO Intellectual Property Judges Forum Held: Three of Nine Sessions Focus on AI

From 2026, 10 to 14, 15, the Ninth World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Intellectual Property Judges Forum was held at the WIPO headquarters in Geneva and online, with more than 970 registered judges, of whom 167 attended in person, including judges from supreme courts, appellate courts and specialized intellectual property courts.

In a recorded address, WIPO Director General Daren Tang said that for the intellectual property ecosystem to function effectively, people need to trust that disputes will be resolved fairly and independently, that rights will be interpreted carefully, and that the judiciary can keep pace with technological change while upholding fundamental principles. Judge Prathiba M. Singh of the Delhi High Court in India, Chair of the WIPO Judges Advisory Council, said that the open attitude of judges in engaging candidly with one another at the forum was itself proof of the forum's success.

Three of the nine sessions this year focused directly on artificial intelligence: the impact of AI-assisted and AI-generated outputs on intellectual property, the use of protected works in developing AI models, and emerging uses of AI in court proceedings. Drawing on recent cases and judicial experience, judges compared how established intellectual property principles apply to AI-assisted and AI-generated outputs, including the degree and nature of human input required to satisfy authorship requirements, and discussed how courts address the use of copyrighted works in AI model training. The discussions showed that judicial approaches across jurisdictions are still evolving, and that the forum offers space for comparative reasoning rather than a single, uniform answer.

The other six sessions covered: patents in software and digital technologies; comparative, referential and expressive use of trademarks; the liability of online platforms and intermediaries; cross-border intellectual property disputes; specialized intellectual property procedures; and the role of supreme courts in clarifying the law and fostering public trust. The trademark session covered topics such as comparative advertising, keyword advertising, social media influencers and affiliate marketing; the platform session addressed the determination of direct and indirect liability, safe harbor rules, and remedies such as blocking orders and dynamic injunctions.

The conference also considered the responsible use of AI in judicial administration, including judicial research, evidence analysis and judgment drafting. Participants emphasized safeguards for fairness, transparency and human judgment, and examined the evidentiary challenges posed by synthetic images, audio and video.

The forum is organized annually by the WIPO Judicial Institute, providing judges from different legal systems and traditions with a neutral space to compare methods, test reasoning and learn from one another, while grounding the discussion in their respective laws and judicial practices. ——————————————————————————————————————————————————— Source: World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), "WIPO Judges Forum Brings Together Judicial Experience to Address Today's IP Challenges", 2026; session code WIPO/IP/JU/GE/26.

Note: This article is compiled from public information and is for informational reference only; it does not constitute legal or other professional advice. Specific conclusions should be based on official publications and the actual circumstances of individual cases.