Judges from around the world gathered at WIPO to discuss how courts are resolving intellectual property (IP) disputes involving artificial intelligence, online platforms and activities across national borders. Drawing on recent judgments and judicial practice, they examined questions affecting creators, businesses and consumers, alongside practical approaches to handling IP cases.
Held on October 14 and 15, 2026, at WIPO headquarters in Geneva and online, the ninth WIPO Intellectual Property Judges Forum drew registrations from more than 970 judges, with 167 judges participating in person, including judges from supreme courts, appellate courts and specialized IP courts.
For an IP ecosystem to function effectively, people need confidence that disputes will be resolved fairly and independently, rights interpreted with care and justice able to keep pace with technological change while remaining anchored in its fundamental principles,
WIPO Director General Daren Tang said in a recorded opening address.
Judicial dialogue in the field of IP is of crucial importance as it leads to better understanding, greater consensus building, harmonization and collaboration without formal structures. The openness with which judges interact in this forum is a testament to its success.
Prathiba M. Singh, Justice of the High Court of Delhi, India, and Chair of the WIPO Advisory Board of Judges.
Topics discussed
Artificial intelligence featured prominently in this year’s program. Three of the Forum’s nine sessions focused directly on AI: its implications for IP rights in AI-assisted and AI-generated outputs, the use of protected works in developing AI models, and the emerging use of AI in court proceedings.
Drawing on recent cases and judicial experience, judges compared how established IP principles are being applied to AI-assisted and AI-generated outputs, including the degree and nature of human input required to satisfy authorship requirements. Participants also considered how courts are approaching the use of copyrighted works in AI model training. The discussions highlighted that judicial approaches are evolving across jurisdictions and that the Forum provides a space to compare reasoning rather than pursue a single, harmonized answer.
The program also considered the responsible use of AI in the administration of justice, including for 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. Other sessions covered software and digital technology patents; permissible third-party use of trademarks; platform and intermediary liability; cross-border IP disputes; specialized IP procedures; and the role of apex courts in clarifying the law and fostering public confidence.
The Forum provided a neutral space for judges from different legal systems and traditions to compare approaches, test their reasoning and learn from one another, while remaining anchored in their own laws and judicial practices. Organized annually by the WIPO Judicial Institute, it forms part of WIPO’s support for judiciaries through dialogue, education, practical resources and access to IP laws, treaties and judgments through WIPO Lex.