This week’s Sunday Surprises ushers in May with a bouquet of IP events, summer schools and opportunities to fill your spring calendar. There’s plenty to keep IP minds busy before the summer break.
Events
WIPO will host its Women and IP Symposium (in Geneva and online) from 11-13 May 2026, bringing together IP and innovation offices to share policies and practices aimed at strengthening women’s participation in innovation. Register here.
WIPO’s Advanced Workshop on Domain Name Dispute Resolution in Geneva will take place on 12-13 May 2026, offering an update on precedent and practice. Join here.
UCL Laws’ IBIL will once again host Patents and Standards 2026 at Senate House, London, on 14-15 May 2026. The event will gather judges, practitioners, industry and academics to discuss the latest developments in SEPs, FRAND and related competition issues.
The 48th session of WIPO’s Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights (SCCR/48) will meet in Geneva from 18-22 May 2026. As ever, the agenda promises discussions on broadcasting, limitations and exceptions, and the future of international copyright norm-setting. Register here.
Call for papers
The 21st European Policy for Intellectual Property Conference will take place from 9-11 September 2026 at the Politecinco di Torino in Italy, on the theme “Intellectual Property and Innovation Policy in the New Global Economy”. The deadline for full papers or extended abstracts is today. Apply here.
Opportunities
WIPO’s Internship Roster 2026 is open to final-year undergraduate and graduate students, as well as recent graduates, offering placements in Geneva across IP law and policy, economics, IT, communications and more. It closes on 4 July 2026. See more here.
Bucerius Law School is offering its three‑week summer program Licensing Transactions in Intellectual Property in Hamburg from 29 June to 18 July 2026. The programme features intensive course work with international faculty, practice‑oriented on‑site negotiation workshops, two‑day final adversarial negotiations in small teams, and an overnight study trip to Berlin, all within a global cohort of participants. Further details are available here.
The Centre for Intellectual Property, Policy & Management (CIPPM), Bournemouth University, in collaboration with WIPO, will host the WIPO‑UK Summer School on IP law for the third consecutive year. The programme will run virtually from 1–12 June 2026 and will include lectures by experts from the UK, EU and beyond, case studies, simulation exercises and group discussions, with a focus on the interface between IP and other disciplines. Participants who attend at least 80% of live sessions and complete the required activities will receive a certificate of participation from WIPO. Registration closes on 22 May 2026. Further information on fees and key dates is available here, with the detailed programme and testimonials from previous cohorts accessible here and here.
News
WIPO has recently published new World IP Day 2026 data showing that IP use in the sports industry is booming, with over 65,700 sports-related inventions were recorded, alongside over 1.25 million trade marks and more than 70,000 designs. Read more here.
The Office of the United States Trade Representative has released its 2026 Special 301 Report, assessing the adequacy and effectiveness of US trading partners’ protection and enforcement of IP rights.
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| This Kat is breathing in all these new spring scents Photo by Maiken Ingvordsen on Unsplash |
Events
WIPO will host its Women and IP Symposium (in Geneva and online) from 11-13 May 2026, bringing together IP and innovation offices to share policies and practices aimed at strengthening women’s participation in innovation. Register here.
WIPO’s Advanced Workshop on Domain Name Dispute Resolution in Geneva will take place on 12-13 May 2026, offering an update on precedent and practice. Join here.
UCL Laws’ IBIL will once again host Patents and Standards 2026 at Senate House, London, on 14-15 May 2026. The event will gather judges, practitioners, industry and academics to discuss the latest developments in SEPs, FRAND and related competition issues.
The 48th session of WIPO’s Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights (SCCR/48) will meet in Geneva from 18-22 May 2026. As ever, the agenda promises discussions on broadcasting, limitations and exceptions, and the future of international copyright norm-setting. Register here.
Call for papers
The 21st European Policy for Intellectual Property Conference will take place from 9-11 September 2026 at the Politecinco di Torino in Italy, on the theme “Intellectual Property and Innovation Policy in the New Global Economy”. The deadline for full papers or extended abstracts is today. Apply here.
Opportunities
WIPO’s Internship Roster 2026 is open to final-year undergraduate and graduate students, as well as recent graduates, offering placements in Geneva across IP law and policy, economics, IT, communications and more. It closes on 4 July 2026. See more here.
Bucerius Law School is offering its three‑week summer program Licensing Transactions in Intellectual Property in Hamburg from 29 June to 18 July 2026. The programme features intensive course work with international faculty, practice‑oriented on‑site negotiation workshops, two‑day final adversarial negotiations in small teams, and an overnight study trip to Berlin, all within a global cohort of participants. Further details are available here.
The Centre for Intellectual Property, Policy & Management (CIPPM), Bournemouth University, in collaboration with WIPO, will host the WIPO‑UK Summer School on IP law for the third consecutive year. The programme will run virtually from 1–12 June 2026 and will include lectures by experts from the UK, EU and beyond, case studies, simulation exercises and group discussions, with a focus on the interface between IP and other disciplines. Participants who attend at least 80% of live sessions and complete the required activities will receive a certificate of participation from WIPO. Registration closes on 22 May 2026. Further information on fees and key dates is available here, with the detailed programme and testimonials from previous cohorts accessible here and here.
News
WIPO has recently published new World IP Day 2026 data showing that IP use in the sports industry is booming, with over 65,700 sports-related inventions were recorded, alongside over 1.25 million trade marks and more than 70,000 designs. Read more here.
The Office of the United States Trade Representative has released its 2026 Special 301 Report, assessing the adequacy and effectiveness of US trading partners’ protection and enforcement of IP rights.
Sunday Surprises
Reviewed by Georgia Jenkins
on
Sunday, May 03, 2026
Rating:
Reviewed by Georgia Jenkins
on
Sunday, May 03, 2026
Rating:
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