TAKE IPO’S INVENTOR REWARDS & RECOGNITION SURVEY 2026
IPO invites members to participate in the Inventor Rewards and Recognition Survey 2026, a benchmarking initiative focused on how organizations recognize, reward, and compensate inventors. Created by the IPO Corporate IP Management & Operations Committee, in collaboration with BlackHills AI, the survey takes just 10–15 minutes and is open through August 10, 2026.
Survey results will be used to develop an industry benchmarking report available to all IPO members on inventor incentives, recognition programs, and statutory inventor remuneration practices.
IPO corporate members who complete the survey and provide a valid email address will also receive access to the anonymized raw survey data and will be entered into a giveaway for one complimentary registration to the IPO 2027 Annual Meeting or the IPOwners Spring Summit™. Law firm members who share the survey with corporate clients will also be entered into the giveaway if the client completes the survey and indicates the firm that invited them to participate. Non-IPO members will receive a copy only if they complete the survey and provide a valid email address.
All responses will remain confidential and be reported only in aggregate form. No individual or company-specific information will be identified.
Thank you for helping IPO create a valuable benchmark for the intellectual property community.
UPC UPDATES: THE UPC AND ABROAD
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By Aloys Hüttermann, Michalski Hüttermann & Partner
Based on the ruling in CJEU C-339/22 (why the CJEU has competence here is complicated and will not be explained) it is possible for the UPC, if the defendant is in a UPC country, to issue an injunction based on a European patent not only for the UPC, but also for the specific countries, e.g., Spain and the UK. However, if a nullity action has been filed, this must be considered and the injunction might be stayed or dismissed.
Furthermore, as the recent UPC_CoA_312/2025 and UPC_CoA_473/2025 decisions made clear, the “long arm” injunction requires infringing activity in those countries as well. This is not necessary within the UPC (cf. UPC_CoA_523/2024).
It is mandatory that the defendant be in a UPC country; whether a non-UPC defendant can be involved via an “anchor defendant” is the subject of a referral to the CJEU (UPC_CoA_789/2025). On the other hand, UK courts, among others, in SEP/FRAND cases (e.g., here) have not shied away from ruling globally, regardless of the parties’ domiciles, and both UK and Chinese courts have awarded “interim licenses.” The UPC has countered this with “anti-interim license injunctions,” e.g., in UPC_CFI 1291/2026 and UPC_CoA 936/2025, both of which have since been settled.
Note: The author represented Syngenta in UPC_CoA_523/2024. This biweekly column covers important recent decisions from the Unified Patent Court. Comments and suggestions are invited.
IPO ANNUAL MEETING SESSION: TRAINING DATA, TRADE SECRETS, AND TRANSPARENCY
Register for IPO’s Annual Meeting, September 27-29, and attend a session on “Training Data, Trade Secrets, and Transparency: Protecting Competitive Advantage in the AI Era,” organized by IPO’s AI, Data & New Emerging Technologies; Trade Secrets; and Pharmaceutical & Biotechnology Issues Committees. This session will explore the intersection of trade secret law, privacy regimes, and emerging AI transparency mandates. Learn how companies can protect proprietary AI models, training datasets, and related know-how as trade secrets while meeting disclosure, audit, and explainability obligations. Panelists GUNJAN AGARWAL (Eaton Corporation), AVERY BLANK (Qualcomm Incorporated), SHRUTI COSTALES (Shruti Law PLLC), JAMIE DAVIS (Bayer Intellectual Property GmbH), and ELIZABETH LESTER (Equifax) will also discuss valuing AI-related trade secrets, managing bias and algorithmic accountability requirements, maintaining control over data processors, and negotiating representations and warranties on data quality and provenance in certain technology areas. Visit the website for additional information and to register.
JOIN THE U.S. PATENT OFFICE PRACTICE COMMITTEE
Staying current with USPTO rules, procedures, and leadership priorities is essential for any patent practitioner, and IPO’s U.S. Patent Office Practice Committee makes that easier. In 2026, the committee is reviewing and responding to proposed USPTO rule changes, monitoring executive orders and legislation affecting the Office, holding quarterly meetings with USPTO leadership, and continuing its partnership on patent examiner training. If day-to-day patent office practice is central to your work, consider joining the committee a direct line to the USPTO. Apply to the U.S. Patent Office Practice Committee today at www.ipo.org/joinacommittee.