Today, the heads of the intellectual property (IP) offices of the Group of Seven (G7) countries - the United States, Canada, France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, and Japan - along with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), met virtually to discuss international cooperation on IP. In a Joint Statement issued after their meeting, the leaders agreed to cooperate on raising awareness about the important role that IP plays in global efforts to address societal challenges—such as public health, climate change, and sustainable development—and pledged to cooperate on establishing shared approaches to fight counterfeiting and piracy.
“We recognize that an effective international IP system is necessary to incentivize innovation and creativity worldwide,” said the leaders’ Joint Statement. “In light of the far-reaching negative social and economic consequences of IP infringements, fostering a positive culture of IP and fighting counterfeiting and piracy are equally important and represent two sides of one coin.”
Today’s meeting was hosted by the German Patent and Trade Mark Office and Federal Ministry of Justice. It continued the discussion on international cooperation on IP that was initiated in 2021 by the Intellectual Property Office of the United Kingdom.