Saturday Sundries

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Saturday Sundries

 Söğüt Atilla-Aydın Saturday, April 25, 2026 - events, IP News, Miscellany, Söğüt Atilla-Aydın

While some readers may have started already counting down the days until summer, the IPKat is here to ensure you do not miss the latest news and forthcoming events in the meantime! Here are the highlights of the week: 

A Kat ready to read the weekly IP news, provided by her favourite blog!

Events

10th Annual ECS Conference

The European Copyright Society will hold its 10th annual conference on 29 May, at the Chateau de Versailles. The Conference is entitled “Copyright, Artificial Intelligence and Cultural Heritage Institutions” and will address topics such as preservation of cultural heritage, the relevance of cultural value in AI licensing economy, and the link between cultural heritage institutions and AI outputs. The deadline to register is 26 May. Full agenda of the Conference and information on how to register here.

OxFora 14th Intellectual Property and Competition Forum

OxFora is holding the 14th IP and Competition Forum between 23 and 24 June, at the German Patent Office. The Forum will bring together global industry leaders, competition authorities and patent offices to discuss cross-border strategies, ensuring patent strength, and the intersection of antitrust scrutiny, technology transfer, and innovation incentives. The panels will host judges and former judges from the UPC, High Court of England & Wales, Supreme Court of Germany, Supreme Court of China, and High Court of the Republic of Korea. More information here.

Reminder: JIPLP 20th Anniversary Celebration

The Journal of Intellectual Property Law & Practice (JIPLP) will be celebrating its 20th birthday on 30 April, at Simmons & Simmons. With two panels and a keynote address, AI and disruptive technologies and the future of IP will be discussed at the celebration. Do not forget to register here!

News

USPTO announces agentic AI-assisted evaluator for patent eligibility determinations

America’s Innovation Agency’s new AI system, termed “McConaughey Agentic Tasking Technology Helping Examiner Workload,” or “MATTHEW,” for short, will help examiners tackle the thorniest of eligibility questions as to whether claims presented are an abstract idea or a patent-eligible invention. Accordingly, “if MATTHEW says your invention is ‘Alright, Alright, Alright,’ then it’s ‘Alright, Alright, Alright’ with the USPTO.” See further details here.

IPAN: Mission Fulfilled!

Thirty-three years after its formation in 1993, the primary mission of the Intellectual Property Awareness Network (IPAN) was recognised by its members meeting in London on 12 February 2026 as having been fulfilled. Other organisations, including the UK IPO and IPAN’s members, are now actively engaged in raising awareness and understanding of IP across many sectors of commerce and industry. It was therefore agreed that IPAN as such should now be dissolved in an orderly manner and its legacy and remaining assets passed on to another UK organisation with similar IP educational objectives. See the full letter written by J. P. Ogier, Chairman of the IPAN board of directors, announcing the closure of IPAN here.

Photo credit: Aylin Atilla

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