With growing patent examination workloads and public expectations of the highest possible patent examination quality, the IP5 Offices share the common challenges of improving quality whilst maintaining efficiency.
All IP5 Offices are committed to continuous improvement of their quality management systems and endeavour to improve the overall quality of their services.
In light of the above, since 2014 the IP5 Offices have been holding annual meetings in the framework of IP5 Working Group 3 to exchange experiences in quality management with a focus on quality metrics, quality assurance and user feedback.
Information regarding quality and the quality management system in place at each office is available via the IP5 Offices' respective websites:
- European Patent Office (EPO) - Delivering Quality
- Japan Patent Office (JPO) - Examination Quality Management
- Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO) - Examination Quality Control
- National Intellectual Property Administration of the People's Republic of China (CNIPA) (coming soon)
- United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) - Enhanced Patent Quality Initiative