The 2025 WIPO Intellectual Property (IP) Judges Forum once again brought judges from around the world together to exchange insights and experience adjudicating IP disputes, to strengthen judicial capacity and foster balanced and effective IP, innovation, and creative ecosystems.
On October 14 and 15, 2025, the eighth edition of the WIPO IP Judges Forum brought together over 520 judges from 100 national and regional jurisdictions to engage in dialogue on significant IP developments and enrich their knowledge by drawing on diverse judicial reasoning and practice. 155 judges gathered at WIPO’s headquarters in Geneva, in person, with a further 370 participating virtually.
In his opening remarks, WIPO Assistant Director General Marco Alemán highlighted key trends shaping the global innovation environment – including digitalization and the geographical diversification of innovation capacity – and their impact on the work of both WIPO and the courts. He recognized the role of courts in shaping innovation and establishing global norms, and emphasized the importance of global dialogue in an increasingly interconnected world.
Program
This year’s Forum featured eight sessions covering common current IP issues encountered by judges around the globe. Sessions revolved around judgments that served as springboards for experience sharing.
Discussions on industrial design rights addressed protection requirements, limits on technical features, infringement, and overlaps with three-dimensional trademark protection. A session on pharmaceutical patents considered evolving judicial interpretation of key patentability requirements for pharmaceutical inventions, particularly inventive step, plausibility, sufficiency of disclosure and patentable subject matter. Panels also discussed well-known marks, including criteria for recognition and issues of dilution and misuse, and matters pertaining to copyright related rights, such as the role of collective management organizations and criteria for the protection of performances. Different approaches to protecting personality rights, including the right of publicity and right to privacy, were also considered. Special attention was given to challenges related to the digital environment, including the proliferation of digital replicas created with artificial intelligence.
Cross-cutting issues surrounding evidence, damages calculations, and criminal enforcement were also featured. The growing role of digital evidence in IP disputes was examined, as well as issues relating to ex parte applications for preservation, orders for production or protection, experts, and survey evidence. Panelists considered approaches to calculating compensatory, statutory, and punitive damages in IP disputes, including the role of willful infringement. A session on criminal proceedings addressed the elements of criminal IP offenses, evidentiary challenges, penalties, and the interplay between interplay between civil and criminal jurisdictional frameworks.
WIPO Advisory Board of Judges Transition
The Forum recognized the 2023-2025 WIPO Advisory Board of Judges, led by Rian Kalden, Presiding Judge of the Second Panel of the Court of Appeal of the Unified Patent Court (UPC), for providing guidance on WIPO’s work with judiciaries for the past two years. The 2023-2025 Advisory Board completed its term and welcomed the incoming 2025-2027 Board, led by Prathiba M. Singh, Justice of the High Court of Delhi, India, at the conclusion of the Forum.
Strengthening Judicial Cooperation
The Forum provided an opportunity for WIPO to enhance its frameworks for cooperation with national and regional judiciaries.
Throughout the week, WIPO officials held bilateral meetings with several judicial delegations, including those from Kazakhstan, Oman, the Philippines, the Republic of Korea, Ukraine, Tajikistan and the United Republic of Tanzania.
Next Steps
The ninth edition of the WIPO Intellectual Property Judges Forum is scheduled for October 13 and 14, 2026.
The Report of the 2025 edition of the Forum will be published in November 2025.
Further information