This week’s Saturday Sundries rounds up upcoming IP events, fresh filing data from EUIPO and WIPO, an academic opportunity in Sweden, IP training courses, and a reminder of the IPKat’s guest post and AI policies. You can also keep up to date with the latest events at the IPKat Events page.
Events
CIPA Congress 2026
The theme of CIPA Congress 2026 is "Durable Strategy, Enduring Value: Sustainable IP". The meeting will be held on 15 September 2026 at The Lowry Hotel in Manchester. Book by 24 July 2026 to receive the early bird discount. There will also be a free pre-conference drinks reception at the People’s History Museum the night before, and the Annual Dinner will take place on the evening of the Congress.
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| Inquisitive Kat |
Following a successful inaugural event last year, CIPA is hosting a second CIPA UPC Conference on 9 September 2026. The conference will explore the ever-increasing importance and impact of the UPC, and the role of UK patent attorneys within this system. Find out more and book here.
News
EUIPO publishes record H1 2026 filing figures
The European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) has
just published its H1 2026 EU trade mark and EU design filing results, which
show a record first half for IP filings. Overall, applications increased by 4.7% compared to the same period in
2025, reaching a total of 166,214 applications. China remains the
largest EUTM filer, followed by Germany, Italy and Spain. For EU designs,
China, Germany and Italy top the ranking of filing countries. Find out more here.
GenAI innovation soaring, with patent activity nearly tripling in two years
WIPO recently reported that the generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) patent landscape has reached a new milestone, with more new patents published in 2024 and 2025 than in the entire preceding ten years combined. GenAI now accounts for 8.7% of all AI-related patent family publications, up from 6.1% in 2023 and 4.2% in 2017. Read more here.
Opportunities
Teaching Fellow in Intellectual Property
Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg, Sweden, is currently recruiting for a Teaching Fellow in Intellectual Property. The role involves teaching, developing and leading courses, primarily at master’s level, and has two main focus areas: a) management and strategy of IP in technology-based innovation and b) generation, development, analysis, and management of IP within early-stage entrepreneurial venturing processes. Further information can be found here.
IP Training Courses
- Intellectual Property for Commercial Lawyers – 23 and 24 September 2026
- Patent Masterclass for Chemists and Biologists – 14 and 15 October 2026
- Patent and Know-How Licensing – 11 and 12 November 2026
- Protecting Confidential Information, Know-How and Trade Secrets – 4 November 2026
- Patents and Freedom to Operate for Chemists and Biologists – 2 and 3 December 2026
IPKat readers will receive a 10% discount if they mention "IPKat" when registering for any of the courses.
IPKat Guest Posts and AI Policy
The IPKat welcomes submissions of origin al, previously unpublished content for inclusion on the blog as guest posts. If accepted, they will be edited and posted by a member of the blog team. Submission does not guarantee publication, and articles prepared using generative AI tools will not be accepted. Further information about how to submit a guest post and about the IPKat Policies can be found here.
Reviewed by Dr Claire Gregg
on
Saturday, July 18, 2026
Rating:
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