The Trilateral Offices – the European Patent Office (EPO), the Japan Patent Office (JPO), and the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) – convened for their 41st annual Trilateral Conference at the EPO headquarters in Munich, Germany, on Wednesday 4 October. The meeting, hosted by EPO President António Campinos, focused on collaborative strategies to achieve the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4, “Ensuring Inclusive and Equitable Quality of Education.” This year’s discussions centred on knowledge sharing, voluntary technology transfer to regions in need, and youth-focused intellectual property (IP) education and outreach.
The President was joined by JPO Commissioner, Koichi Hamano, and Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and USPTO Director, Kathi Vidal. The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) also participated in the meeting as an observer, with Deputy Director General Lisa Jorgenson in attendance.