CWS Work Program Overview

January 2026

Introduction

At its thirteenth session, the Committee on WIPO Standards (CWS) reviewed and approved the Tasks below. To deal with certain Tasks, the CWS established corresponding Task Forces.

Each Task Force has its own electronic forum (Wiki) for carrying out assigned Task(s). Find information about the CWS Task Forces.

Active CWS Tasks

Following is the list of active Tasks after the thirteenth session of the CWS.

Task No. 18

Description	Identify areas for standardization relevant to the exchange of machine‑readable data on the basis of projects envisaged by such bodies as the Five IP Offices (IP5), the Five Trademark Offices (TM5), the Industrial Design 5 Forum (ID5), ISO, IEC and other well‑known industry standard‑setting bodies.
Task Leader(s)	International Bureau
Task Force	Not applicable
Scheduled actions to be carried out	The International Bureau to coordinate reporting on developments relating to standardization and/or the presentation of proposals to the CWS as necessary. The International Bureau noted the discussion on allowable features in drawings of patent documents among the Five IP Offices (IP5). Find further information on the IP5 initiatives. This discussion is considered relevant to the CWS as it may form the basis for development of a new WIPO standard on drawings in patent documents, similar to WIPO Standard ST.67 (figurative elements of trademark) and WIPO Standard ST.88 (representation of industrial designs). The International Bureau has also observed discussions on 3D objects and combined marks within ID5 and TM5. The International Bureau to continue to monitor these discussions and to report its progress to the CWS in due course.

Task No. 24

Description	Collect and publish Annual Technical Reports (ATRs) on Patent, Trademark and Industrial Design Information Activities of the CWS Members (ATR/PI, ATR/TM, ATR/ID).
Task Leader(s)	International Bureau
Task Force	Not applicable
Scheduled actions to be carried out	The International Bureau to update, if needed, the ATR templates by adding other WIPO Standards and/or status options to the existing list of the WIPO Standards. The International Bureau to evaluate options to improve the ATR platform to a more advanced and user-friendly solution. The International Bureau to collect and publish ATRs for the reporting year 2025, and to report the results to the fourteenth session of the CWS.

Task No. 33

Description	Ongoing revision of WIPO Standards.
Task Leader(s)	International Bureau.
Task Force	Not applicable
Scheduled actions to be carried out	The International Bureau to continually monitor the need of revisions to existing WIPO Standards except Standard ST.3 and the ones that are managed by a specific Task Force, and to present a proposal for consideration by the CWS.

Task No. 33/3

Description	Ongoing revision of WIPO Standard ST.3.
Task Leader(s)	International Bureau
Task Force	Not applicable
Scheduled actions to be carried out	The International Bureau to continually monitor the need of revisions to WIPO Standard ST.3, and to propose a revision as necessary.

Task No. 41

Description	Ensure the necessary revisions and updates of WIPO Standards ST.36, ST.66, ST.86 and ST.96; and support the implementation of those Standards.
Task Leader(s)	International Bureau
Task Force	XML4IP
Scheduled actions to be carried out	The revision of WIPO Standards ST.36, ST.66, ST.86 and ST.96 is considered an ongoing activity. The International Bureau to organize regular meetings of the XML4IP Task Force. The International Bureau to pilot a centralized repository to host Office-specific implementations of WIPO Standards ST.96 and ST.36. The Task Force to prepare a new version to be published in April 2026.

Task No. 44

Description	Support the International Bureau by testing new releases based on available resources and providing user feedback on WIPO Sequence Suite; and prepare necessary revisions of WIPO Standard ST.26.
Task Leader(s)	European Patent Office (EPO)
Task Force	Sequence Listings Task Force
Scheduled actions to be carried out	The Task Force to continue to work on the necessary updates to WIPO Standard ST.26 and to present a proposal for an improved version of WIPO ST.26 for consideration and approval by the CWS, where necessary. The Task Force to support the development and testing of the WIPO Sequence Suite, including passing on feedback from users of WIPO Sequence. The Task Force to monitor the evolution of relevant industry standards and databases to determine any necessary updates to WIPO ST.26.

Task No. 47

Description	Ensure the necessary revisions and updates of WIPO Standards ST.27, ST.87 and ST.61; prepare supporting materials to assist the use of those Standards in the IP community; and support the XML4IP and API Task Forces to improve existing XML components and to develop JSON components respectively for legal statuses, where necessary.
Task Leader(s)	International Bureau
Task Force	Legal Status Task Force
Scheduled actions to be carried out	The Task Force to encourage IP offices to provide their mapping table or update their existing mapping table published in Part 7.13 of the WIPO Handbook. The Task Force to share implementation experiences or intentions to implement on the Task Force wiki space. The International Bureau to provide training on legal status Standards, if requests were made by IP offices. IP offices to provide the Secretariat with their mapping tables to WIPO Standards ST.27, ST.61 and/or ST.87 for publication in the WIPO Handbook as well as consideration for any other necessary updates to those Standards. The Task Force to work on necessary revisions and updates of WIPO Standards ST.27, ST.87 and ST.61. The Task Force to start discussing with API Task Force to improve legal status components in WIPO Standard ST.97.

Task No. 50

Description	Ensure the necessary maintenance and update of surveys published in Part 7 of the WIPO Handbook on Intellectual Property Information and Documentation.
Task Leader(s)	International Bureau
Task Force	Part 7 Task Force
Scheduled actions to be carried out	The International Bureau to conduct the survey on citation practices and update Part 7.9 of WIPO Handbook. The International Bureau to update Part 7.3 of WIPO Handbook based on the information provided by the IP offices. The International Bureau to inform IP offices on the hybrid approach for updating information published in Part 7.1, Part 7.2 and Part 7.6 of WIPO Handbook.

Task No. 55

Description	Prepare a proposal for future actions aimed at achieving the standardization of names in Intellectual Property (IP) documents, with the view to developing a WIPO standard to assist IP offices in providing a better “quality at source” in relation to names.
Task Leader(s)	Ministry of Intellectual Property (MOIP) of the Republic of Korea and the International Bureau
Task Force	Name Standardization Task Force
Scheduled actions to be carried out	The Task Force to revisit and improve the draft standard on proposal for a set of recommendations for data cleaning of names for consideration and adoption at the fourteenth session of the CWS.

Task No. 56

Description	Ensure the necessary revisions and updates of WIPO Standard ST.90; support the International Bureau in promoting and implementing WIPO Standard ST.90; and promote the API Catalog for Intellectual Property.
Task Leader(s)	Canadian Intellectual Property Office (CIPO) and the European Union - European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO)
Task Force	API Task Force
Scheduled actions to be carried out	The Task Force to ensure the necessary revisions and updates of WIPO Standard ST.90. The Task Force Offices to share their implementation plans for WIPO Standard ST.90 and their experience in conducting these plans, using the Task Force wiki. The Task Force to support the International Bureau to enhance the API Catalog for Intellectual Property to deliver better IP services to stakeholders and users in IP community.

Task No. 58

Description	Facilitate the implementation of the ICT related Recommendations by IP offices and the International Bureau; and evaluate and update these Recommendations as needed to maintain their relevance.
Task Leader(s)	IP Australia and the International Bureau
Task Force	ICT Strategy Task Force
Scheduled actions to be carried out	The Task Force to facilitate the implementation of the 10 ICT Recommendations by IP offices and the International Bureau and how to measure and track progress in this implementation. The Task Force to organize a dedicated meeting or workshop, with an initial focus on Recommendation 10 and an option of exploring other high priority Recommendations. The Task Force to continue to evaluate the ICT Recommendations and to prepare a proposal to improve them as needed to maintain their relevance to IP offices’ business.

Task No. 59

Description	Explore the possibility of using blockchain technology in the processes of providing IP rights protection, processing information about IP objects and their use; collect information about IPO developments in use of and experience with blockchain, assess current Industry Standards on blockchain and consider merit and applicability to IPOs; develop reference models of using blockchain technology in the IP field, including guiding principles, common practice and use of terminology as a framework supporting collaboration, joint projects and proofs of concept; and prepare a proposal for a new WIPO Standard supporting the potential application of blockchain technology within the IP ecosystem
Task Leader(s)	Rospatent
Task Force	Blockchain Task Force
Scheduled actions to be carried out	The Task Force to research and analyze the use cases of blockchain technologies in IP community, and further improve the draft standard for supporting potential applications of blockchain technologies within the IP ecosystem.

Task No. 61

Description	Ensure the necessary revisions and updates of WIPO Standard ST.91, including methods of search for 3D models and 3D images.
Task Leader(s)	Rospatent
Task Force	3D Task Force
Scheduled actions to be carried out	The Task Force to prepare a proposal in order to add a new Annex on “3D Model Search” to WIPO Standard ST.91, and present it to the fourteenth session of the CWS where possible. The Task Force to discuss on the legal framework and publication of 3D models and 3D images.

Task No. 62

Description	Review WIPO Standards developed for paper or image-based communication in view of electronic filing and publication and exchange of IP documentation and propose revisions of those Standards or new recommendations if needed; and prepare a proposal for the recommendation on a common requirements specification for a DOCX to XML (DOCX2XML) converter.
Task Leader(s)	United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO)
Task Force	Digital Transformation Task Force
Scheduled actions to be carried out	The Task Force to focus on the development of DOCX2XML converter technical specifications, considering the DOCX to XML conversion experiences of IP offices and to prepare a revised draft specification document. The International Bureau to explore a possibility of the development of a common DOCX2XML tool, based on the agreed technical specification.

Task No. 63

Description	Develop visual representation(s) of XML data, based on WIPO XML Standards, for electronic publication.
Task Leader(s)	United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO)
Task Force	Digital Transformation Task Force
Scheduled actions to be carried out	The Task Force to discuss the plan for restarting this Task and present its plan to the fourteenth session of the CWS.

Task No. 64

Description	Ensure the necessary revisions and updates of WIPO Standard ST.97.
Task Leader(s)	Canadian Intellectual Property Office (CIPO) and the European Union - European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO)
Task Force	API Task Force
Scheduled actions to be carried out	The Task Force to focus on the development of DOCX2XML converter technical specifications, considering the DOCX to XML conversion experiences of IP offices and to prepare a revised draft specification document. The Task Force to develop the version 2.0 of WIPO Standard ST.97. The Task Force Offices to test the XML2JSON transformation tool. The Task Force to maintain the Improvement Register to record proposed improvements for WIPO Standard ST.97.

Task No. 65

Description	Ensure the necessary revisions and updates of WIPO Standard ST.92 and support IP offices for their implementation of the Standard before July 1, 2028.
Task Leader(s)	United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO)
Task Force	Digital Transformation Task Force
Scheduled actions to be carried out	The Task Force to ensure the necessary revisions and updates of WIPO Standard ST.92. The Task Force to continue working with the International Bureau to support IP offices for their smooth migration to ST.92 format during the transition period from July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2028. The Task Force to support Offices to implement WIPO Standard ST.92 before July 1, 2028.

Task No. 66

Description	Encourage IP offices to provide their patent authority file in compliance with WIPO Standard ST.37 by providing any technical support or training necessary, based on available resources; and undertake any necessary revisions and updates to WIPO Standard ST.37.
Task Leader(s)	United Kingdom Intellectual Property Office (UKIPO)
Task Force	Authority File Task Force
Scheduled actions to be carried out	The Task Force to ensure the necessary revisions and updates of WIPO Standard ST.37. The Task Force to support Offices to implement WIPO ST.37 and collaborate with the International Bureau to improve the set of Authority File guidelines. The Task Force to collaborate on any potential improvements to the Authority File Portal.

Task No. 67

Description	Analyze existing practices and challenges experienced by IP offices with a view to explore solutions to improve global IP data exchange.
Task Leader(s)	Japan Patent Office (JPO), Saudi Authority of Intellectual Property (SAIP) and the International Bureau.
Task Force	IP Data Exchange Task Force
Scheduled actions to be carried out	The Task Force to review the project brief on IP Data Exchange Framework and Platform as discussed at the twelfth session of CWS. The Task Force to prepare a draft survey questionnaire to gather IP offices’ practices and suggestions to facilitate IP data exchange. The Secretariat to conduct the survey prepared by the Task Force to all CWS members and observers. The Task Force to present the survey analysis at the fourteenth session of the CWS. The Task Force to improve the draft standard considering the outcomes of the survey. The Task Force to present the final proposal for consideration and adoption at the fourteenth session of the CWS.