2024 WIPO Master Class on Intellectual Property Adjudication Convenes Experienced Judges from 20 Jurisdictions

The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and the High Court of Delhi successfully organized the WIPO Master Class on Intellectual Property (IP) Adjudication, from March 7 to 9, 2024.  Held at the High Court of Delhi in New Delhi, the event promoted transnational judicial exchange of IP-related experiences and jurisprudential developments.

Judges from Australia, India, the Unified Patent Court (UPC), the United Kingdom, and the United States of America comprised the distinguished Master Class faculty.  Faculty members guided participating judges through a program of wide-ranging and timely topics [link to program PDF], including the interplay of IP proceedings in different fora, current issues in patents, the territoriality of IP rights, frontier technologies, scientific evidence in emerging areas of technology, specialized rules of procedure, and injunctive relief.  Recent court decisions from across the globe informed participant discussions, yielding exciting and productive insights into many of the key developments shaping IP adjudication today.

In addition to a tour of the High Court of Delhi, Master Class participants benefitted from addresses by members of the Government and Supreme Court of India, including Dr. S. Jaishankar, Minister of External Affairs; Honorable Mr. Sanjiv Khanna, Justice of the Supreme Court; and Dr. Unnat P. Pandit, Controller General of Patents, Designs and Trade Marks.

The organization of WIPO’s annual Master Class in New Delhi this year was particularly timely in light of the exciting IP developments in India.  The number of IP filings made in India more than doubled between 2012 and 2022, surging from 250,000 to almost 600,000.  The new IP Division of the Delhi High Court has had a transformative impact, dealing with over 750 cases in its first year of operation.  

Bringing together 37 experienced judges from 20 jurisdiction, the 2024 Master Class served as a global forum for leading jurists to share and learn from these and other success stories from around the world.   

The WIPO Master Class is part of WIPO’s work to support judiciaries in their vital role of ensuring that intellectual property, innovation, and creative ecosystems are balanced and effective.